US Navy hunting for Iraqi mine ships

THE US Navy has said it is searching for two Iraqi naval vessels that could be trying to lay mines “anywhere” in the Gulf.

In a notice to merchant shipping, seen by Reuters, the US Fifth Fleet's Maritime Liaison Office (MARLO) said coalition forces were hunting two vessels, the Al Shorook and the Al Fateh al Mobeen.

The enormous US-British naval presence in the Gulf has so far deterred any attacks on either military or merchant shipping in the region, with most mine-sweeping operations confined to the northern Gulf and Iraq's waterways.