Turkiye, Somalia forces free cargo vessel hijacked by pirates

Somali authorities accidental 14 pirates were killed successful the 10-day cognition to escaped a Cameroon-flagged cargo vessel.

Turkish and Somali forces person freed a cargo vessel held captive by pirates disconnected the seashore of Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland state, according to authorities.

In a connection connected X connected Saturday, the Somali Ministry of Defence said that “14 pirates” died successful the cognition to escaped the Cameroon-flagged MV Latuf.

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Four of their boats were besides destroyed, it said.

The Defence Ministry said that “sustained unit from the forces yet compelled the remaining pirates to wantonness the vessel”, allowing the forces to instrumentality power of the ship.

The rescue cognition was conducted nether a defence practice statement betwixt Somalia and Turkiye, aimed astatine strengthening maritime security, protecting Somalia’s coastline and combating piracy, it said.

The Somali Defence Ministry did not supply details astir immoderate casualties oregon the wellbeing of the ship’s crew.

A section elder, Abdullahi Warsame, from the Jiifle assemblage successful the Godob Jiraan territory of Puntland’s Nugal region, told The Associated Press quality bureau that the vas and its unit had been freed.

The MV Latuf near the Turkish Port of Tekirdag successful precocious July. It was hijacked connected August 17 successful waters disconnected the seashore of the Nugal portion of Puntland, a semi-autonomous national authorities successful northeastern Somalia.

According to the Marine Traffic website, the cargo vessel has continued its voyage to its reported destination successful Dar-es-Salaam successful Tanzania.

Piracy was rampant disconnected the seashore of Somalia successful the 2000s, peaking successful 2011, earlier being curbed by planetary naval deployments and caller extortion measures for commercialized shipping.

But attacks person surged since April, with astatine slightest 15 attacks disconnected the seashore of Somalia this year, the highest since 2013, according to figures from the International Maritime Organization. At slightest 5 cargo ships person been held hostage, the past of which was seized connected August 20 disconnected the seashore of Yemen.