Two US Navy SEALs remain missing two days after they disappeared during a boarding operation off the coast of Somalia in the Gulf of Aden, according to new reports.
The ABC report, which was based on three unnamed US officials, said a search and rescue mission was still underway as of Saturday.
The special forces were on what ABC described as an “interdiction mission” on Thursday in the Gulf of Aden, between Somalia and Yemen, according to ABC.
While climbing over the side of the ship to board, a Special Forces member fell into the sea due to the high waves.
The official CNN network, which did not mention its name, reported that the accident occurred while waves were rising eight feet high in the sea.
Per standard protocol, another SEAL jumped into the water to rescue the first SEAL.
Military officials have begun the process of notifying the family, a former official said, according to the New York Times.
Neither the seals nor the ship from which they were operating were identified.
The Washington Post reported that piracy deterrent operations are common in the region.
Ships are often boarded to ensure they have the proper paperwork and are not transporting prohibited items.
The newspaper quoted an unnamed official as saying that the incident was not related to the recent American and British attacks against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, or to an incident in which Iran seized a ship.
The newspaper indicated that in November, five crew members of what it called an “elite aviation unit” died during a refueling accident near Cyprus.
On Saturday, US Central Command issued a statement regarding the missing sailors.
“On the evening of January 11, two US Navy sailors were reported missing at sea while conducting operations off the coast of Somalia. Search and rescue operations are currently underway to locate the sailors. For operational security purposes, we will not release additional information until the personnel recovery process is complete.”
The statement added: “Out of respect for the affected families, we will not publish further information about the missing individuals at this time.”
“The Sailors are deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet (C5F) area of operations to support a wide range of missions,” the statement said.
The Fifth Fleet's area of operations includes the Arabian Gulf, the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, according to the fleet's website.
This article originally appeared in The Western Journal.
