Earlier this week, pirates took control of a 10-person crew on a cargo ship flying the Cameroonian flag off the coast of Puntland, Somalia, including at least six Indians. According to a Somali official, pirates captured the ship carrying Turkish weapons and headed toward the Nugaal shore.
The Associated Press reported that the commercial ship LUTUF was apprehended on Monday approximately three and a half nautical miles off Marraya in Puntland’s Eyl area, citing an official who was not authorized to discuss sensitive information in public.
The ship was apparently taken toward the coast at Garmaal in Puntland’s Dangoroyo district by eight pirates, who are said to be part of a group that had previously taken control of another merchant vessel named Sward on April 26.
According to the official, Polar Movement Shipping owned the ship, which was transporting weaponry, communications, and satellite equipment to a Turkish military training base in Mogadishu.
He stated that the ship included two Serbian security guards, one Turkish national, and one Georgian in addition to six Indian sailors.
Both Turkish and Indian authorities have not yet released a statement on the subject.
The article claims that as Turkish helicopters and drones kept an eye on the region, two Turkish-owned warships later approached the hijacked ship.
According to the official, a small boat with two guys on board approached the ship on Tuesday and brought khat, a stimulant that is frequently chewed in Somalia.
Four individuals were killed and two more were injured in an airstrike that occurred after the boat came to land, according to the official.
It was not immediately possible to independently confirm the strike’s circumstances, including who carried it out and whether the victims were involved in the hijacking.
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