Turkey has boosted its military presence in Somalia this week following Al-Shabab’s recent offensive near Mogadishu, deepening Ankara’s concerns over the deteriorating security situation in the country, several sources familiar with the matter, Al-Shabab has made significant gains in central Somalia, notably nearing villages south of the capital Mogadishu last month…
This week, Turkey deployed nearly 500 soldiers to Somalia, almost doubling its usual military personnel, These forces are tasked with protecting and maintaining the Turkish military base, Turksom, as well as operating armed drones and protecting Mogadishu ports.
A regional source familiar with Turkish military operations in Mogadishu told MEE that around 300 Turkish commandos have been deployed to protect Turkish facilities and assist in training Somali forces, An additional 200 personnel have been sent to enhance armed drone operations, which have gradually increased since last month.
A Turkish official noted that Somali airspace is currently controlled by the US military, and therefore, all Turkish aerial operations are conducted in coordination with US Africa Command (Africom), Even though reports claimed that Ankara handed 12 Turkish-made T-129 attack helicopters to Somalia, a Somali source told that Somali pilots were still in training in Turkey, denying the news.
The second regional source said that Ankara plans to continue deploying Somali troops trained in the Turkish cities of Isparta and Izmir. This week, Qatari aircraft delivered additional ammunition to Mogadishu, Turkey is expected to deploy more drones and offer artillery support if necessary, the source added.
