Puntland authorities have accused Türkiye of carrying out airstrikes off the coast of Somalia’s Nugaal region following the hijacking of the M/V LUTUF, a vessel reportedly transporting Turkish-made weapons and military equipment.

Puntland’s Deputy Minister of Security, Abdirahman Yusuf Dujaana, told BBC Newsday and BBC Somali that the regional administration believed Türkiye was responsible for the strikes. He also alleged that Somalia’s Federal Government was involved in the developments surrounding the vessel and the subsequent operation.

The Turkish government told the BBC that it had no information about the reported strikes. Other reports, however, indicated that Turkish naval vessels, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles had been observed near the hijacked ship.

Somalia’s Federal Government said it had been informed of the operation in advance. It disputed claims that those killed in the strikes were fishermen and raised the possibility that they were members of the suspected pirate group holding the M/V LUTUF and other internationally registered vessels.

The competing accounts have not been independently verified. The number and identities of those killed, as well as the circumstances surrounding the reported strikes, remain unclear.