MOGADISHU (Halbeeg News) – Weapons including assault rifles, machine guns, and ammunition were found in a boat off Somalia coast, A Navy officials said Saturday.
The Indian Navy ship which was deployed on anti-piracy operation in the Gulf of Aden has conducted operation meant to step up the security in its assigned areas.
In a statement, Indian navy official said INS Sunayna ship detected a suspicious fishing vessel, approximately 25 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia, in the vicinity of Socotra island, following which the operation was launched
Then the ship carried out the operation in which four high calibre AK-47 rifles and one Light Machine Gun, along with ammunition for these weapons were seized from a vessel.
“The vessel was thoroughly searched and allowed to proceed, after confiscation of the arms and ammunition, to prevent their illegal use later by the crew for piracy-related activities,” said a Navy official. “This incident reiterates the commitment of the Indian Navy towards ensuring safe seas for Indian, as well as international, seafarers in the Indian Ocean region.”
According to the statement, INS Sunayna carried out a similar operation off the coast of Somalia last month.
Late August, the U.S. Navy seized hundreds of small arms, including AK-47s, from an unflagged boat in the Gulf of Aden.
The unflagged vessel was a traditional dhow, or sailing boat, according to an article published by Reuters.
The Gulf of Aden is one of the world’s busiest shipping routes connecting Europe to Asia and the Middle East, with Yemen to the north, Somalia to the south and the Arabian Sea to the east.
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