US Navy opens fire on boat in Persian Gulf

A U.S. Navy ship fired upon a small boat in the Persian Gulf
Monday, reportedly killing one person onboard, after the boat made a rapid approach.

The USNS Rappahannock, a refueling support ship in the Fifth
Fleet, fired on the small motorboat after it ignored warning shots and
continued to approach the Navy ship, according to a Navy statement.

CNN reported
that one person on board the motor boat was killed.

{mosads}When the boat did not respond to the warning attempts, according to the Navy, the Rappahannock fired .50-caliber machine gun rounds.

“In accordance with Navy force protection procedures, the
sailors on the USNS Rappahannock (T-AO 204) used a series of non-lethal,
preplanned responses to warn the vessel before resorting to lethal force,” the
Navy said. “The U.S. crew repeatedly attempted to warn the vessel’s operators
to turn away from their deliberate approach.”

The incident occurred in the Persian Gulf near Jebel Ali in
the United Arab Emirates.

The Navy said the incident is under investigation.