Forces raid hijacked ship

Somali forces raided one of the many ships hijacked off the country’s coast as a deadline loomed over another hijacked vessel that is laden with arms.

Troops in the northern semiautonomous Puntland region unsuccessfully tried to take back a ship that was hijacked by pirates, said Ali Abdi Aware, Puntland’s foreign minister. He said two pirates were killed. The vessel, which is carrying cement, is believed to have Syrian and Somali crew on board.

Pirates on a Ukrainian vessel that is carrying 33 tanks and other heavy weapons have threatened to destroy it if a multimillion-dollar ransom is not paid.