US naval forces intercepted on January 6 a fishing vessel smuggling over 2,000 AK-47 assault riffles in the Gulf of Oman to Yemen, the Navy said on Tuesday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th January, 2023) US naval forces intercepted on January 6 a fishing vessel smuggling over 2,000 AK-47 assault riffles in the Gulf of Oman to Yemen, the Navy said on Tuesday.
"US naval forces intercepted a fishing vessel in the Gulf of Oman, Jan. 6, and discovered it smuggling 2,116 AK-47 assault rifles while transiting international waters along a maritime route from Iran to Yemen," the Navy said in a statement.
The intercepted vessel, which was "sailing on a route historically used to traffic illicit cargo to the Houthis in Yemen," was crewed by six Yemeni nationals, it added.
Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of US Naval Forces Central Command, noted that this weapons shipment is part of destabilizing activity by Iran.
In the past two months, US Navy has also intercepted two other fishing vessels in the Gulf of Oman smuggling "lethal aid" from Iran to Yemen, including over 50 tonnes of ammunition rounds, fuses and propellants for rockets, as well as more than 70 tons of ammonium perchlorate, according to the statement.
