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Two US Navy sailors have been reported missing this week during operations off the coast of Somalia, as stated by the US Central Command.
As of Saturday evening, search efforts were still underway, but specific details about the sailors or their originating Navy ship were not disclosed. ABC News reported that the missing individuals were Navy SEALs who disappeared during a nighttime ship-boarding mission.
Central Command has confirmed that they continue their search and rescue operations but have refrained from providing further details, citing operational security concerns. They also expressed a commitment to respecting the privacy and sensitivity of the affected families by withholding additional information about the missing personnel at this time.
Instances of sailors going missing are relatively rare, with the Navy experiencing approximately one or two such cases annually. Most of these cases result in the sailors not being found.
This comes as the US Navy maintains a significant presence in the area around Somalia and the Gulf of Aden, primarily to counter the ongoing threat of attacks on merchant ships by Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen. In response to these attacks, which pose a threat to the critical shipping routes through the Suez Canal, the US and UK conducted airstrikes in Yemen earlier this week.
The Eisenhower carrier strike group, which includes the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, the cruiser USS Philippine Sea, and destroyers USS Mason and USS Gravely, are currently deployed in the region. Additional destroyers, USS Carney and USS Laboon, are also operating nearby.
