210215-N- PS962-1005 INDIAN OCEAN (Feb. 12, 2021) The guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81), in accordance with international law, boarded a stateless dhow off of Somalia and interdicted an illicit shipment of weapons and weapon components, Feb. 12. Maritime security operations, as conducted by the U.S. 5th Fleet, entail routine patrols to determine pattern of life in the maritime environment as well as to enhance mariner-to-mariner relations. These operations reassure allies and partners and preserve freedom of navigation and free flow of commerce. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Louis Thompson Staats IV)
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.
