Missing U.S. Navy SEALs declared dead

U.S. Central Command on Sunday declared two U.S Navy SEALs to be presumed dead. The United States, Spain, and Japan had all conducted more than a week of search operations for 37-year-old Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Christopher Chambers and 27-year-old Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Nathan Ingram. U.S. Central Command reported the searches covered more than 21,000 square miles.

How did the soldiers go missing? Chambers and Ingram were on a mission on Jan. 11 to retrieve Iranian weapons from a boat off the coast of Somalia. The weapons were believed to be headed toward Yemen for use by the Houthi rebels. Due to rough seas, one of the SEALs fell into the water while boarding the boat, and the other dove into the water to save him.

Was the mission successful? U.S. Central Command said the SEALs successfully seized the boat and retrieved ballistic missiles and cruise missile components. The items included medium-range warheads, anti-ship cruise missiles, and air defense components. The U.S. government deemed Iran’s transfer of weapons to Yemen in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2216 and international law.

Dig deeper: Read A.S. Ibrahim’s column in WORLD Opinions about the Houthis.