Drone Kills Four Pirates Off Puntland as Regional Task Force Takes Shape After Lutuf Seizure

A drone strike killed four suspected pirates near Somalia's Puntland coast on 18 August 2026, a day after the cargo vessel MV Lutuf was seized in the fifth such attack since April. Two Turkish warships have arrived in the area, and regional states have agreed to form a combined naval task force.

The four men killed were in a small skiff near Garmaal, on Puntland's Nugaal coast. Puntland security officials said the drone belonged to the Turkish government. Neither Ankara nor Mogadishu had issued an official statement on the strike at the time of reporting. Turkey had deployed two warships to the area and was demanding the vessel's release.

The Lutuf, a 1,400-dwt Cameroon-flagged cargo vessel, was seized on 17 August by eight armed men at 1136 UTC, roughly four nautical miles south of Mareeyo. The crew of six Indians, one Georgian, and one Turk were aboard; armed guards did not repel the boarding. The vessel was en route from Tekirdag, Turkey, to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

The Lutuf is the fifth vessel seized since April 2026. The Honour 25, Sward, Eureka, and Asana had already been taken. Pirate groups have used these captured hulls as platforms to reach targets further offshore, according to Dawn.

The resurgence connects to a broader routing shift. Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have pushed more vessels onto the Cape of Good Hope route, bringing them within range of Somalia's Puntland coast.

On 29 July 2026, signatory states of the Djibouti Code of Conduct (DCOC) agreed to form a Combined Task Force for the Western Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden. The DCOC covers 20 coastal states. National focal points endorsed the plan on 5 August. Kenya will host a working session in Mombasa from 7 to 9 September to develop the operational framework.

MarineRadar data shows 23 unique users tracked the MV Lutuf over the past seven days, with activity continuing as the standoff enters its fourth day.