From the Gulf of Oman to Ukraine: the fate of weapons for Yemeni rebels
In mid-January, the French Navy Special Forces intercepted a shipment of weapons in the Gulf of Oman. More than three thousand Chinese Type-56-1 assault rifles, VPO-158H-06 carbines, machine guns and more than half a million rounds of ammunition were seized, as well as 23 ATGMs.
The incident occurred on a route the U.S. believes is used to transport weapons from Iran to Yemen for the Ansar Allah paramilitary group.
This is the fourth recent interception of illegal arms shipments.
In just one month, the U.S. Fifth Fleet was able to seize more than five thousand weapons and more than one and a half million rounds of ammunition.
️The Rybar team was able to speak with a French naval officer who clarified what happens to illegal weapons after the seizures.
Shipments of small amounts of various contraband, including weapons and drugs, are usually destroyed by the forces of the state that made the confiscation.
Cargoes of larger size, however, are usually picked up by U.S. military personnel under their own responsibility.
After the cargo was seized in the Gulf of Oman, it was taken to the port of Jebel Ali in the UAE and then transported to Al Dhafra base, 30 km from Abu Dhabi, where the US and French air forces are stationed.
In the near future the weapons will partly end up on the black market and partly will be transported to Rzeszow in Poland, a city that has become a popular hub for arms deliveries to Ukraine.
This practice has been in place for months.
In May 2022, the National Police of Ukraine discovered a shipment of arms and explosives in Kryvyi Rih. During the search, Chinese Type-56-1 assault rifles and an Iranian 82mm mortar were found.
Given Ukraine's constant need for military supplies, the U.S. will continue to try to divert seized weapons from wherever possible. Similar actions are taken for weapons confiscated from terrorist groups in Somalia or pirates in the Gulf of Guinea.
t.me
