Somali and Turkish forces have retaken the MV LUTUF after pirates seized the Turkish vessel off Somalia’s coast, Somalia’s Defense Ministry said Saturday.
The Cameroon-flagged ship was hijacked Aug. 17 in Puntland State state’s Nugaal region. The operation destroyed four boats used by the pirates and left 14 alleged pirates dead, according to the ministry.
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The remaining pirates abandoned the vessel, enabling the forces to secure control of the ship. Authorities said the mission was carried out under a defense cooperation agreement between Somalia and Turkey focused on improving maritime security, safeguarding Somalia’s coastline and fighting piracy.
The ministry gave no information about possible casualties or the condition of the vessel’s crew.
Abdullahi Warsame, a local elder from the Jiifle community in Nugaal’s Godob Jiiraan district, where the ship was being held, told The Associated Press that the vessel and its crew had been released.
The seizure of the MV LUTUF had renewed concerns that piracy could be returning to Somalia’s coastline.
