DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. Navy says a recent arms seizure from small ships near war-torn Yemen netted over 2,500 Kalashnikov assault rifles.
The Navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet gave the updated total in a statement Wednesday. It boarded the skiff and the dhow, a traditional ship in the Persian Gulf, during a routine check in the Gulf of Aden on Aug. 28.
The Navy added: "The origin and intended destination of the skiff have not yet been determined."
In early 2016, U.S.-allied warships in the region stopped three dhows carrying thousands of Kalashnikov assault rifles as well as sniper rifles, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, anti-tank missiles and other weapons believed bound for Yemen from Iran.