Two U.S. Navy sailors who went missing Thursday while conducting a night boarding mission off the coast of Somalia have been identified as U.S. Navy SEALs, according to U.S. Central Command.
The two men were on a boat during a mission in the Gulf of Aden when high waves caused one to fall into the sea.
According to the Associated Press, as part of Navy SEAL procedures, a second group of special forces rushed to the rescue and rescued the distressed partner, but both men were lost.
Both SEALs are still missing, and search and rescue operations continue.
Two US Navy Sailors Missing Off the Coast of Somalia: Central Command
A plane lands on a safe beach area near the runway of Aden Adde International Airport at sunset in Mogadishu, Somalia, September 4, 2022. (Ed Lamb/Getty Images)
U.S. officials told The Associated Press that the waters in the Gulf of Aden, where they were operating, were warm.
Officials also said the incident was not connected to Operation Prosperity Guardian, an ongoing U.S. and international mission to protect commercial shipping in the Red Sea, or to retaliatory strikes carried out by the U.S. and U.K. in Yemen. he told the Associated Press. For the past two days.
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Somali Maritime Police patrol the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia's Puntland state on November 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Jackson Nijehia)
Officials said the incident was unrelated to Iran's seizure of the tanker.
Details of the Navy SEAL's mission and which ship he was on board are still unclear.
U.S. Central Command said in a statement Saturday that it would not release additional information about Thursday night's incident until the personnel recovery mission is complete.
In this image provided by the UK Ministry of Defense on Friday, January 12, 2024, a Royal Air Force Typhoon aircraft returns to RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus, after attacking targets in Yemen. U.S. and British forces launched a major retaliatory attack late Thursday, January 11, using Tomahawk missiles and fighter jets launched from warships and submarines used by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, U.S. officials said. They bombed more than a dozen bases. (British Ministry of Defence, Sergeant Lee Goddard, via AP)
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U.S. officials and the U.S. Navy did not respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
