US Navy Seizes Shipment Of Thousands Of Rifles, Other Small Arms Off Coast Of Somalia

The US guided missile destroyer Winston Churchill captured weapons shipments in a search of two dhows off the coast of Somalia, the Navy said on Tuesday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th February, 2021) The US guided missile destroyer Winston Churchill captured weapons shipments in a search of two dhows off the coast of Somalia, the Navy said on Tuesday.

"The cache of weapons consisted of thousands of AK-47 assault rifles, light machine guns, heavy sniper rifles, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, and crew served weapons.

Other weapon components included barrels, stocks, optical scopes and weapon systems," a Navy press release said.

Both dhows were "stateless" and the original source of the weapons remains unidentified, the Navy said.

The Churchill's seizure was part of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet operations in the region, which include routine patrols to protect legitimate shipping while disrupting transport of weapons sought by terrorist groups, according to the Navy.