Hijacked ship carrying Turkish weapons has 6 Indians aboard
What's the story
A Cameroon-flagged cargo ship, carrying Turkish weapons, was hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia's Puntland region earlier this week. The merchant vessel, identified as LUTUF, was seized about three and a half nautical miles from Marraya in Puntland's Eyl district on Monday, the Associated Press reported, citing an anonymous official. The ship is owned by Polar Movement Shipping and was headed to a Turkish military training facility in Mogadishu.
Hijackers' route
Pirates took ship toward Nugaal coast
The ship, which was also carrying communications and satellite equipment, was taken toward the Nugaal coast by eight pirates, who are believed to be part of a group previously involved in the hijacking of another merchant vessel, Sward, on April 26.
The crew of the LUTUF included six Indians, one Turkish national, one Georgian, and two Serbian security guards.
As of now, there has been no official statement from Indian or Turkish authorities regarding this incident.
Surveillance efforts
Turkish-owned vessels approached hijacked ship
After the hijacking, two Turkish-owned vessels approached the LUTUF. Turkish helicopters and drones also monitored the area.
On Tuesday, a small boat with two men approached the vessel and delivered khat, a stimulant chewed in Somalia.
After this delivery, an airstrike was carried out, which killed four men and injured two others.
The details of who conducted this strike or if those killed were involved in the hijacking remain unclear.