Turkish government has officially paid a ransom in exchange for Cameroon-flagged vessel MV LUTUF after it had been hijacked by Somali pirates.
The ship believed to have been in pirate hands for 10 days and was being held off Eyl, a coastal city in Nugaal region of Puntland, was finally released on Saturday.
Turkish authorities paid the pirates $5 million in exchange for the ship and the valuable equipment on board.
According to federal and Puntland officials, MV LUTUF, the ship Turkey ransomed, was carrying military supplies and other sensitive equipment, including:
- Equipment Turkey is using to build a space facility in Warsheikh.Β Β
- Long-range missiles, linked to a test facility Turkey is building in Wargaadi.
- Three Turkish UAVs known as AkΔ±ncΔ±, one of among whom is claimed to be reserved for Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, with the controllers having previously trained.
According to officials, the Turkish government is supporting the resurgence of piracy in order to obtain access to the Puntland and Somaliland coastlines.
The government of Puntland had previously cautioned against paying ransom or engaging in negotiations with pirates, claiming that doing so would only serve to incite them.
JQ.