U.S. Warship Intercepts Two Dhows with Illegal Arms off Somalia

A U.S. warship, the guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81), has intercepted two Dhows carrying illicit shipments of weapons in international waters off the coast of Somalia.

The U.S. Navy, which announced the seizure in a statement on its website on Tuesday, said the weapons were seized during a maritime security operation between February 11 and 12.

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, the U.S. Navy announced.

The statement said Churchill’s Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) team discovered the cargo during a flag verification boarding, although the source of the weapons has not yet been identified.