US forces take control of Morning Glory tanker

At the request of both the Libyan and Cypriot governments, US forces boarded and took control of thecommercial tanker Morning Glory, a stateless vessel seized earlier this month by three armed Libyans.Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said in a statement on Monday that no one was hurt in the operation."The boarding operation, approved by President (Barack) Obama and conducted -- in international waters southeast of Cypress, was executed by a team of U.S. Navy SEALs attached to Special Operations Command Europe," he indicated.He added that "the SEAL team embarked and operated from the guided missile destroyer USS Roosevelt (DDG-80). USS Roosevelt provided helicopter support and served as a command and control and support platform for the other members of the force assigned to conduct the mission." Kirby noted that the Morning Glory is carrying a cargo of oil owned by the Libyan government National Oil Company. The ship and its cargo were illicitly obtained from the Libyan port of As-Sidra."The Morning Glory will be underway soon to a port in Libya with a team of sailors from the USS Stout (DDG-55) embarked. The sailors will be supervising the transit," he added.