Aden (Al Ittihad)
Yesterday, the US Fifth Fleet announced that its naval forces had intercepted a fishing vessel in the Gulf of Oman, carrying more than 2,000 assault rifles, on its way to the terrorist Houthi militia in Yemen.
The fleet stated, in a statement, that the fishing vessel was intercepted on January 6, and it was discovered that it was smuggling 2,116 AK-47 assault rifles while it was crossing international waters along a sea route to Yemen.
The statement indicated that “the fishing vessel that was intercepted was sailing in a direction previously used to smuggle illegal goods to the Houthis in Yemen, and there were 6 Yemenis on board.”
The Fifth Fleet confirmed that supplying, directly or indirectly, selling or transferring weapons to the Houthi militia violates UN Security Council Resolution No. 2216 and international law, and said that the ship is being transferred and returned to its original home.
Over the past two months, the US Fifth Fleet has intercepted two more fishing vessels in the Gulf of Oman smuggling “lethal aid” to Yemen.
On the first of December, a ship carrying more than 50 tons of ammunition and parts used in the manufacture and launch of missiles was seized, and a ship was intercepted on the eighth of last November carrying more than 170 tons of tools used in the missile industry.
Fifth Fleet Commander Brad Cooper said the arms shipment was part of an “ongoing pattern of destabilization”.
“We will remain vigilant in disclosing any maritime activity that impedes freedom of navigation or endangers regional security,” Cooper added.
In turn, a spokesman for the Fifth Fleet stationed in the Middle East of the US Navy, Timothy Hawkins, said that they found Kalashnikov rifles wrapped in cloth on board the ship.
The Chinook, along with the patrol boat USS Monson and the guided missile destroyer USS Sullivan, seized the weapons.
#Washington #Intercepting #ship #smuggling #weapons #Houthi