The two Navy SEALs who went missing on Jan. 11 while boarding a dhow that carried weapons for Houthi rebels are believed deceased.
After 10 days, the U.S. military ended search and rescue efforts for two missing Navy SEALs, who are now presumed dead after going missing near Somalia on Jan. 11, U.S. Central Command announced on Sunday, January 21.
“We regret to announce that after a 10-day exhaustive search, our two missing U.S. Navy SEALs have not been located and their status has been changed to deceased,” CENTCOM said in its statement.
Both SEALs were part of a team of Navy special operators who conducted a nighttime boarding mission of a dhow near the Somali coast that was transporting weapons from Iran to the Houthis as part of their attacks on merchant shipping, according to U.S. Central Command. The SEALs found parts for medium-range ballistic missiles and anti-ship crew missiles and the dhow was sunk after the mission.
One of the SEALs was knocked into the water by high waves while trying to climb into the dhow, and the other jumped into the ocean to rescue him, according to media reports. No further information is available about when and how the SEALs went missing during the mission, which was supported by helicopters and drones.
The announcement that the two SEALs are presumed dead comes after 10 days of search and rescue efforts across more than 21,000 square miles, with crews searching by air and by sea for the missing SEALs.
The names of the two SEALs have not been released. U.S. military policy is to wait 24 hours after next of kin have been notified.
