A ship carrying weapons for a Turkish facility was seized off the coast of Somalia
Off the coast of the Somali region of Puntland, the cargo ship LUTUF, flying the Cameroonian flag, was seized. There were 10 people on board, including at least six Indian citizens. According to NDTV World, the ship was carrying weapons for a Turkish military training facility in Mogadishu, as well as communications and satellite equipment.
The Associated Press reported, citing a Somali official who was not authorized to publicly comment on sensitive information, that the ship was seized on Monday approximately three and a half nautical miles from Marra in the Eel district. According to the official, the vessel was taken toward the coast near Garmaal in the Dangoroyo region.
The official stated that the vessel was seized by eight individuals, whom the report identified as pirates. They are believed to be members of a group that may have been involved in the hijacking of the merchant vessel Sward on April 26. He identified Polar Movement Shipping as the owner of the LUTUF.
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In addition to the six Indian sailors, there was one Turkish citizen, one Georgian citizen, and two Serbian security guards on board. As of the time of publication, Indian and Turkish authorities had not issued any statements regarding the incident.
According to the source, two Turkish-owned vessels later approached the hijacked ship, and Turkish helicopters and drones were monitoring the area. On Tuesday, a small boat carrying two people delivered khat—a stimulant commonly chewed in Somalia—to the LUTUF.
After the boat returned to shore, according to an official, an airstrike occurred: four people were killed, and two others were wounded. It has not been independently confirmed who carried out the strike or whether the deceased were involved in the vessel’s seizure. The status of the vessel, its crew, and its cargo also remains unclear.
