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On August 29, the Federal Government of Somalia reported that Turkish and Somali forces freed the cargo ship MV Lutuf, which had been seized off the coast of Puntland on August 17, resulting in the deaths of 14 pirates. While the Somali Defence Ministry attributed the rescue to a 2024 defence pact with Turkiye, the Puntland Ministry of Security disputed this, alleging that the vessel's release was secured through ransom payments. This incident follows a sharp rise in piracy, with at least 15 attacks recorded since the beginning of the year, leading the Joint Maritime Information Center to raise its piracy threat assessment to "severe."
On 17 August, eight armed men seized the Cameroon-flagged MV LUTUF near Eyl, Somalia, while it was transporting Turkish military equipment to the TURKSOM base in Mogadishu. The vessel's ten-member crew, which included nationals from India, Turkey, Georgia, and Serbia, was held for twelve days. On 29 August, Somalia’s federal defense ministry announced that a joint Somali-Turkish operation freed the ship and killed 14 pirates, though Puntland’s security ministry contradicted this, claiming the pirates released the vessel following a ransom payment facilitated by federal officials.
Turkish and Somali forces concluded a 10-day rescue operation, killing 14 pirates and destroying four boats to free the Cameroon-flagged cargo vessel MV Latuf. The vessel was hijacked on August 17 off the coast of Somalia's Puntland state while traveling from the Turkish Port of Tekirdag to Dar-es-Salaam. The intervention was conducted under a bilateral defense cooperation agreement between Somalia and Turkiye aimed at bolstering maritime security. This operation follows a broader resurgence in regional piracy, with at least 15 attacks recorded off the Somali coast this year, marking the highest frequency since 2013.
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