Turkish and Somali Forces Retake Hijacked Cargo Ship – 14 Somali Pirates Reported Dead * The Gateway Pundit * by Paul Serran

The Piracy in the Horn of Africa and Gulf of Aden is starting to see some pushback.

After a 10-day military battle, forces from Turkey’s navy and the Somali army have freed a hijacked vessel, killing 14 pirates.

Turkiye’s navy and Somali armed forces have freed a hijacked vessel held in Somali waters after a battle lasting several days that killed 14 pirateshttps://t.co/R5DJo8SUkm

— Arab News (@arabnews) August 29, 2026

Deutsche Welle reported:

“’During the 10-day operation, four boats used by the pirates were destroyed and 14 pirates were killed’, said a Somali Defense Ministry statement. ‘The sustained military pressure finally forced the remaining pirates to abandon the ship’.

The MV LUTUF, a Cameroon-flagged vessel, was hijacked on August 17 off the coast of the Nugaal region of Puntland state. The joint Turkey-Somalia operation was carried out as part of a defense cooperation agreement between the two countries.”

The MV LUTUF, a Cameroon-flagged cargo ship, was released today after being hijacked for 12 days off Puntland.

Somalia’s federal government says a 10-day Turkish-Somali operation killed 14 pirates and forced the rest to flee. pic.twitter.com/wxJUwC03Ks

— Clash Report (@clashreport) August 29, 2026

“The ministry did not provide details about any casualties or the well-being of the crew aboard the vessel but said, ‘The forces subsequently secured the MV LATUF, which has now safely resumed its journey’.”

At least eight crew members were reportedly on board, including one Turkish national.

#BREAKING Pirates linked to Puntland President Said Deni, who had seized the MV LUTUF, a vessel carrying Turkish military supplies, were forced to abandon the ship following a joint operation by the Turkish Navy and the Somali Armed Forces. According to information obtained from… pic.twitter.com/lFoCsnk83R

— Umut Çağrı Sarı (@umutcagrisariii) August 29, 2026

Maritime Executive reported:

“In a statement from Turkey’s Ministry of Defense, they confirmed that the ship had been transporting supplies to the TURKSOM Military Base in Somalia when it was targeted by pirates.

[…] There had been reports from Somalia of several earlier skirmishes with the pirates. The media said between four and six pirates were killed when they left the cargo ship in a small boat to resupply. The cargo ship was reportedly then placed in a full lockdown by the pirates. The crew of the Lutuf consisted of 10 members: six Indian nationals, one Turkish national, one Georgian, and two Serbian security guards.

[…] Somali pirates are thought to be still holding four more ships that have been seized since April. Countries including Egypt and Pakistan have been pressuring for a diplomatic solution to release their citizens who are among the kidnapped crewmembers. Pakistani officials had said that because the ships are tankers, it would be too dangerous to attempt to retake the vessels by force.”

Read more:

Surging Somali Pirates Seize Another Cargo Ship off the Coast of Yemen, in the Sixth Vessel Hijacking Since April