Garowe (AX) — Four men suspected of piracy were buried Thursday in Garmaal, a coastal area of Puntland State’s Nugaal region, one day after a reported Turkish drone strike hit a small boat allegedly carrying individuals connected to the hijacking of a commercial vessel.
Family members of the dead held Turkey responsible for the attack. Puntland State security officials said the strike targeted suspected pirates who were traveling toward the coastline.
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Turkey and Somalia’s federal government had not issued statements on the reported airstrike.
The funerals took place as suspected pirates in the area accused the Somali and Turkish governments of carrying out indiscriminate attacks against fishermen and coastal residents.
Speaking to local media, a man who identified himself as a pirate said his group had taken control of a ship off Garmaal three days earlier. He alleged that Turkey, which he said was connected to the vessel, launched an airstrike the next day, killing several people.
The account could not be independently verified.
He attributed the return of piracy to poverty and deteriorating economic conditions in coastal communities. He also accused foreign vessels of fishing illegally in Somali waters, claiming that some ships seized by pirate groups had been operating without authorization.
According to the man, the groups holding ships in the area were not part of one unified organization, but maintained ties and reached agreements with one another.
He further claimed that crew members aboard the captured vessels would not be harmed provided they did not create problems.
The reported strike comes after a series of recent vessel seizures off Somalia’s coast, reviving concerns about piracy in waters where attacks had dropped substantially following a peak more than a decade ago.
On Wednesday, Pakistani Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said Somali pirates were seeking $3 million to secure the release of 10 Pakistani sailors held hostage since April.
The sailors are part of the crew of the MT Honour 25, a Palau-flagged oil tanker hijacked off Puntland State. Indonesian, Indian and Sri Lankan nationals are also among those held hostage aboard the vessel.
The resurgence has focused attention on deteriorating economic conditions in parts of Somalia’s coastal belt and heightened concerns over the safety of commercial shipping routes connecting the Horn of Africa to the Gulf and the broader Indian Ocean.
