Four civilians have been killed and two others injured in an airstrike in the Garmaal area of Somalia’s Nugaal region, according to local residents.
The strike took place on Tuesday afternoon in Garmaal, an area under Dangorayo district, where the cargo ship Lutuf is reportedly being held. The vessel is sailing under the flag of Cameroon and was carrying equipment belonging to the Turkish government to the Somali capital, Mogadishu.
The airstrike reportedly targeted a fishing boat from the area that had returned from the location where the Lutuf was anchored. Four people were killed at the scene, while two others were injured and taken to Garowe for treatment, according to Omar Abdulqadir, a Garmaal resident who spoke to Horseed Media.
Those killed included the man operating the fishing boat, who was reportedly confirmed to have had contact with the group holding the vessel, as well as fishermen who were attempting to secure the boat to a mooring point in the sea off Garmaal.
The Puntland authorities have instructed local residents not to touch the bodies or disturb other evidence at the scene. Police officers and investigators have been deployed to gather information about the airstrike and establish how the incident occurred.
The four people killed have been identified as:
- Ahmed Ali Jama Dhahar
- Heego Mohamed Ducaale
- Waraad Yusuf Ubeed
- Caydarus Yusuf Ilmi
