Key facts
- Pirates hijacked the M/V LUTUF, a Cameroon-flagged cargo ship, off Somalia's Puntland coast.
- The ship was carrying Turkish weapons and communications equipment.
- The crew consists of 10 individuals: six Indians, one Turk, one Georgian, and two Serbians.
- The vessel was taken towards the Nugaal coast.
- An airstrike resulted in four fatalities and two injuries among men who approached the ship.
Pirates hijacked a Cameroon-flagged cargo ship, the M/V LUTUF, earlier this week off the coast of Somalia's Puntland region. The vessel was carrying Turkish weapons and communications equipment destined for a Turkish military training facility in Mogadishu.
The ship, owned by Polar Movement Shipping, was seized on Monday approximately 3½ nautical miles off Marraya in Puntland's Eyl district. The 10-member crew comprises six Indian nationals, one Turkish national, one Georgian, and two Serbian security guards.
According to a Somali official, eight pirates, possibly linked to a previous hijacking, took the M/V LUTUF towards the coast near Garmaal. Subsequently, two Turkish-owned vessels approached the hijacked ship, while Turkish helicopters and drones monitored the situation. On Tuesday, a small boat delivered khat to the vessel. Following the boat's departure, an airstrike occurred, resulting in four fatalities and two injuries among the men on board. The circumstances of the strike and the identities of those killed could not be independently verified.