The Combined Maritime Forces will increase its presence in shipping lanes off the coast of Yemen following a string of pirate attacks, according to story by France 24.
Pirates in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden reportedly used high-speed boats and rocket propelled grenades while attempting to seize several commercial oil tankers since last October, according to the coalition's statement.
"While these small boat attacks were both unsuccessful, and the identity of the attackers remains unknown, they demonstrate a new threat to the maritime community," the statement read. "It will take all of us, working together, to be successful."
The attacks have not been confined to commercial vessels. The destroyer Mason was targeted three times in a week last October by missiles off the coast of Yemen, a country entrenched in a civil war since 2015.
The Combined Maritime Forces is a U.S.-led coalition of 31 naval forces that aims to protect international waters across the world by fighting terrorism and piracy and ensuring the safety of the seas, according to the coalition's website. The coalition did not respond to emails asking which nations would be contributing to this effort.
