US Navy Deploys another Destroyer to Bab el-Mandeb, Over Yemeni Sea-Mine Alert
By Tamir Eshel -
Feb 4, 2017
The U.S. is bolstering its naval force operating off the Yemen coast and in the Bab El Mandeb straits connecting the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. The Navy announced the AEGIS destroyer USS Cole has joined the task force cruising off the coast of Yemen to defend access and ships transiting the Bab el-Mandeb strait.
The main concern is that the Houthis will try to block the narrow maritime lane with mines. “We’ve seen evidence that the Houthis are laying mines in the waters outside at least one of their ports. We officially have great concern for the freedom of navigation there” Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, told Stars & Stripes.
http://defense-update.com/20170204_bab-el-mandeb.html
