A Cameroon flagged cargo ship transporting weaponry and high tech communication gear has been hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia, according to a government official. The vessel, known as the MV Lutfu, was seized on Monday just a few nautical miles off Marraya in the Eyl district of Puntland. The shipment was reportedly destined for a Turkish military training facility located in Mogadishu, though officials have remained tight lipped about the specific nature of the arms on board.
The ten person crew consists of individuals from India, Georgia, Serbia, and Turkey. According to sources close to the matter, eight pirates intercepted the ship and began steering it toward the Nugaal coast near Garmaal. These attackers are believed to be part of a criminal syndicate that recently targeted another vessel back in April, suggesting a resurgence of coordinated piracy activity in these waters.
In the chaotic aftermath of the seizure, Turkish assets including helicopters and drones were deployed to monitor the situation from above while two other Turkish owned ships closed in on the location. In a strange turn of events on Tuesday, a small boat allegedly approached the hijacked vessel to deliver khat, a popular local stimulant. Shortly after that boat departed for shore, an airstrike hit the area, leaving four people dead and two others wounded.
It remains unclear exactly who ordered the strike or if those killed were actually among the pirate hijackers. As of now, there has been no formal statement from Turkish authorities regarding the fate of their personnel or the security of the weapons cargo. The current status of both the ship and its international crew remains uncertain as regional forces continue to track the vessel’s movement along the coastline.
