MOGADISHU, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- Marine forces in Somalia's Puntland on Saturday captured a boat carrying anti-aircraft guns and other illegal weapons in northern Somalia, local officials said.
Puntland marine officer Mohamed Mohamud said the boat was seized with a large amount of weapons in the coastal waters of Somalia. An investigation has been launched.
"Puntland Marine guards seized this boat which was carrying large amount of weapons, ammunition with different sizes," he said. "The operation is still underway, we don't know the ownership of this shipment."
Among the weapons seized were anti-aircraft guns, machine guns, AK-47 rifles and dozens of boxes of ammunition. The weapons, whose final destination remains unknown, were from Yemen.
Puntland marine forces started tracking the vessel from Yemen following a tip-off from international naval forces, Mohamud said.
Puntland State Administration have been battling pirates, Al-Shabaab and Islamic State (IS) militants in the region.
Somalia came under United Nations arms embargo in 1992, after a civil war broke out in the African nation. In 2013, the U.N. Security Council eased the embargo for one year, allowing the weak Somali government to buy light weapons to strengthen its security forces.
