TWO SERBS IN THE HANDS OF PIRATES: Ship carrying Turkish weapons hijacked off the coast of Somalia!

Two Serbian citizens were on board a cargo ship that was hijacked by pirates off the coast of the Puntland region in northeastern Somalia at the beginning of the week, AP reports. They were men hired as security personnel on a ship carrying Turkish weapons, according to an agency source.

The cargo ship “LUTUF”, which was sailing under the Cameroonian flag, was hijacked on Monday, about 3.5 nautical miles from Maraja, in the Eyl area of Puntland, a Somali official told AP on condition of anonymity.

According to him, the ship, owned by the company “Polar Movement Shipping”, was carrying weapons intended for a Turkish military training center in Mogadishu, as well as communications and satellite equipment.

The crew consisted of 10 members — six Indian citizens, one Turkish citizen, one Georgian citizen and two Serbian citizens who were hired as security personnel, the official said.

Eight pirates, believed to belong to the group that previously took part in the hijacking of the ship “Sward” on April 26, took the “LUTUF” toward the coast near Garmaal, in the Dangorayo area of Puntland.

Two Turkish-owned vessels later approached the hijacked ship, while Turkish helicopters and drones monitored the area, the official said.

On Tuesday, a small boat carrying two men approached the ship and delivered khat, a stimulant that is commonly chewed in Somalia.

After the boat returned to shore, an airstrike followed in which four people were killed and two were wounded, the official said.

The circumstances of the attack, including who carried it out and whether those killed were involved in the hijacking, could not be independently confirmed.

It is also not known what happened to the “LUTUF”, its crew and its cargo, AP reports.

So far, no Turkish officials have commented on these reports.

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