BREAKING: Pirates kill five hostages after attack by Puntland forces

Garoowe (Caasimada Online) – Three Pakistani citizens and two other pirates have been reported killed as Puntland forces were rescuing the oil tanker Honour 25, which had been held for more than five months off the coast of Somalia.

Puntland forces took control of the ship flying the Palau flag today, Tuesday, as reported by Puntland government television, which added that the pirates holding it were captured and will be brought to court.

Reuters reported that Puntland officials did not respond to requests sent to them for further details about the operation.

However, the Pakistani newspaper The Express Tribune reported that five of the crew members were killed during the operation, including three Pakistanis.

The report stated that the pirates opened fire on some of the crew members they were holding hostage when they came under pressure from Puntland forces and began to escape from the ship.

This information was sourced from pirates who survived the incident and the Ansar Burney Welfare Trust, which had been monitoring the situation of the ship's crew.

According to the survivors, a confrontation occurred between the forces and the pirates before the group opened fire on the crew members they were holding.

} The three Pakistanis who were killed were named Kashif Umar, Mahmood Ansari, and Rafiullah. A Hindi fisherman named Tanveer and the head of the ship's engineers from Myanmar also died, according to the Express Tribune.

Four other people were injured in the incident, three of whom were reported to be Pakistani.

Reuters, citing Puntland state television, confirmed that the ship was rescued and that the pirates were captured, but its report did not mention the deaths or injuries of the crew.

The Ansar Burney Trust also stated that the pirates damaged the ship's navigation system before fleeing, which caused Honour 25 to be unable to move on its own.

The ship is now being towed towards the coast, the agency reported.

Five months of captivity

Honour 25 was seized by pirates on April 21, while it was passing approximately 30 nautical miles off the coast of Puntland, according to Reuters.

The ship had 17 crew members on board, 10 of whom were Pakistani nationals.

The European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) confirmed in July that the ship and its crew were still in the hands of the pirates.

Families of the Pakistani fishermen have held several protests in Karachi in recent months, demanding the Pakistani government expedite the release of their relatives.

The government of Pakistan has also discussed the matter with the government of Somalia and the international maritime organization IMO, calling for a way to release the personnel.

The pirates initially demanded a ransom of three million dollars, according to reports released by Pakistani media. This demand was later reduced.

Operation Honour 25 came less than a week after Puntland forces rescued the ship Sibu 1 from the pirates, which was hijacked in August.

Reuters reported that the Puntland maritime police carried out the operation to rescue Sibu 1, which is under U.S. sanctions.

The resurgence of piracy off the coast of Somalia in recent years has once again raised concerns for ships using the Gulf of Aden and the western Indian Ocean.

Between 2008 and 2014, Somali pirates disrupted one of the busiest trade routes in the world, causing billions of dollars in losses to the global economy and receiving hundreds of millions of dollars in ransom.