Four people suspected of being members of a pirate group have reportedly been killed in an airstrike off the coast of Somalia’s Nugaal region.
Wararka Soomaaliya
Reports from the area say the strike took place on Tuesday afternoon, targeting an armed group believed to have been involved in the hijacking of a vessel off the coast of Eyl district.
The four men were reportedly travelling in a small boat from the sea towards the shore when they came under attack near Garmaal, on the Nugaal coast. A drone is said to have carried out the strike.
The suspected pirates were reportedly part of a group of eight armed men who had seized a vessel. According to the reports, the group was using another previously hijacked ship, the MV Sward, which was said to be carrying agricultural fertiliser equipment.
Faahfaahinta
The vessel at the centre of the incident, the M/V Lutuf, was reportedly sailing under the flag of Cameroon and was said to be owned by a Turkish company. It was reportedly heading towards Mogadishu with 10 crew members on board, including six Indians, one Turkish national and one Georgian national. Two additional security guards were also reportedly on board, although their nationalities have not been confirmed.
The circumstances surrounding the airstrike remain unclear. Unconfirmed reports circulating on Somali social media claim that Turkish forces stationed along Somalia’s coast carried out the attack.
Other social media reports have alleged that the vessel was carrying military equipment belonging to the Somali-Turkish military cooperation programme, known as Turksom. These claims have not been independently verified.
Saamaynta
There has been no official confirmation of the identities of those killed, the force responsible for the strike or the nature of the suspected pirate group.
Wararka.so waxay kuu soo tebineysaa wararka ugu dambeeyey ee Soomaaliya iyo caalamka. Si aad ula socoto wararkii ugu dambeeyey, booqo boggayaga.
