In a bizarre turn of events, a US sailor assigned to the USS Chief, a Navy minesweeper en route to the Middle East, was attacked by a monkey during a stopover in Phuket, Thailand. The unnamed sailor was part of the crew aboard the US Navy vessel, tasked with removing the mines planted by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing conflict involving the US and Israel.
The sailor was evacuated to the USS Chief’s base in Sasebo, Japan, where he is receiving proper medical attention. Though the incident did not delay the USS Chief’s mission, and the sailor was fine, the Navy said the attack highlighted that military missions face unexpected disruptions that are difficult to account for, especially at the time of a war.
“Weird stuff happens. This was definitely an unknown unknown,” a military official was quoted as saying by Axios.
Thailand is infamous for its notorious macaques who roam the streets, stealing food and other consumables from the bystanders. In some cases, the encounters can turn deadly, especially as macaques are carriers of Herpes B virus, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Strait of Hormuz Blockade
Tensions over the passageway, critical for the global oil trade, have been simmering over the last few weeks between the US and Iran. Both sides have maintained their blockades. creating an uneasy standoff with no sign of peace talks on the horizon.
US President Donald Trump on Thursday (Apr 23) ordered the US Navy to shoot any boat putting mines in the strait, while the military said it intercepted two oil supertankers that tried to evade restrictions on traffic to and from Iran’s ports.
About a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies are typically shipped through Hormuz, as well as aluminium, fertilisers, and other agricultural products. The strait has been closed for almost two months, and the peace talks so far have yielded no significant results.