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Pirates hijacked the cargo ship M V Lutuf off Puntland while it carried Turkish weapons and equipment. The seizure put six Indian crew members at the centre of a murky regional security crisis.
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Mogadishu,UPDATED: Aug 20, 2026 21:06 IST
Six Indians were among 10 crew members aboard a Cameroon-flagged cargo ship hijacked by pirates off Somalia's Puntland coast earlier this week, a Somali official said on Thursday. The vessel, M/V LUTUF, was carrying Turkish weapons as well as communications and satellite equipment.
The ship was seized on Monday and taken towards the Nugaal coast, the official said. Its status, along with that of the crew and cargo, was not immediately clear. There was no immediate comment from Turkish authorities, and The Associated Press said it could not independently verify all details of the account.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly on the sensitive matter, said the ship was seized about three and a half nautical miles off Marraya in Puntland's Eyl district. The vessel is owned by Polar Movement Shipping and was carrying weapons bound for a Turkish military training facility in Mogadishu.
According to the official, the 10-member crew comprised six Indians, one Turkish national, one Georgian and two Serbian security guards. He said eight pirates, believed to be from a group previously involved in the hijacking of the M/V Sward on April 26, took the vessel towards the coast near Garmaal in Puntland's Dangoroyo district.
The official said 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 followed, killing four men and injuring two others, he said.
The circumstances of the strike, including who carried it out and whether those killed were involved in the hijacking, could not immediately be independently verified. Overall, the incident involved a hijacked cargo ship carrying Turkish military supplies, a 10-member crew that included six Indians, and a fast-moving situation off Somalia whose outcome remained unclear.
With PTI Inputs
- Ends
Published By:
India Today Web Desk
Published On:
Aug 20, 2026 21:06 IST
