Turkish and Somali forces have freed the Cameroon-flagged cargo ship MV Latuf, which was hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland state, after a 10-day operation.
The Somali Ministry of Defense announced that 14 pirates were killed and four of their ships were destroyed during the operation; according to the ministry, military pressure from the joint forces finally forced the remaining pirates to abandon ship.
The operation was carried out based on a defense cooperation agreement between Türkiye and Somalia, with the aim of strengthening maritime security, protecting the Somali coast and combating piracy.
The MV Latuf, which departed from the Turkish port of Tekirdag, was hijacked on August 17 in waters near the Negal region of Puntland and is now en route to its destination in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
