Six Indians were among the 10-member crew of a Cameroon-flagged cargo ship hijacked by pirates off Somalia’s Puntland coast earlier this week, according to a Somali official.
The M/V LUTUF, owned by Polar Movement Shipping, was seized on Monday about 3.5 nautical miles off Marraya in Puntland’s Eyl district and was subsequently taken toward the Nugaal coast. The vessel was carrying Turkish weapons, along with communications and satellite equipment, reportedly bound for a Turkish military training facility in Mogadishu.
The crew comprised six Indian nationals, one Turkish national, one Georgian and two Serbian security guards, the official said.
Eight pirates, believed to be linked to a group previously involved in the hijacking of the M/V Sward on April 26, reportedly took the vessel toward the coast near Garmaal in Puntland’s Dangoroyo district. Two Turkish-owned vessels later approached the hijacked ship, while Turkish helicopters and drones monitored the area.
On Tuesday, a small boat carrying two men approached the vessel and delivered khat, a stimulant commonly chewed in Somalia. After the boat returned to shore, an airstrike reportedly killed four men and wounded two others. However, it could not immediately be established who carried out the strike or whether those killed were involved in the hijacking.
The status of the LUTUF, its crew and its cargo remained unclear. Turkish authorities had not immediately commented on the incident, and the details could not be independently verified.
Four civilians killed as violence flares up in Somalia
At least four civilians were killed and 98 others injured after hours of intense fighting between Somali government forces and militias in the southwestern city of Baidoa, a hospital official said Tuesday.
The clashes broke out early Monday when militia groups attacked government positions on the outskirts of the city, which is home to more than half a million people displaced by conflict and drought. Somali officials said at least 30 militia fighters were killed, but did not immediately provide a casualty figure for government forces.
Dr Abdikafi Omar Mohamud, head of the emergency department at Bay Regional Hospital, said the civilian casualties included 28 women and an elderly man who was hit by stray bullets.
The latest violence has further strained Baidoa’s already overstretched health services. The city, located around 245 kilometres (150 miles) northwest of Mogadishu, hosts large numbers of displaced people in addition to its local population.
With inputs from AP
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