Turkey Deploys Troops to Somalia to Support Fight Against al-Shabab

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Two Turkish military planes carrying around 500 troops landed at Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International Airport this week, marking the first wave of a larger deployment aimed at supporting Somalia’s fight against the al-Shabab extremist group.

The troops were transported to the Turkish military base known as Turk-Som, located in the Jazeera area of the capital. The base is Turkey’s largest in Africa and serves as the primary training ground for Somalia’s elite Gorgor forces.

More than 300 Turkish military personnel are currently stationed at the Camp TurkSOM, which was opened in 2017. The camp can accommodate approximately 1500 trainees at a time. As of 2023, nearly 5,000 Somali trainees have graduated from the military camp.

The deployment is part of a broader plan approved by the Turkish Parliament in July 2024, allowing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to send up to 2,500 troops to Somalia. It remains unclear whether the forces will engage directly in combat operations or conduct airstrikes, similar to U.S. military support in the region.

The move comes amid renewed offensives by al-Shabab, an al-Qaida-linked militant group, which has recently retaken several areas previously liberated by Somali forces, including the strategic town of Adan Yabal.

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who visited Turkey earlier this month, discussed the escalating conflict and international cooperation with Erdogan, at a time when hopes are dimming for the planned African Union-led AUSSOM mission. Egypt had been expected to contribute troops to the effort.

Turkey has been a close ally of Somalia since 2011, investing in infrastructure and training Somali security forces. Turkish-trained Gorgor and Haramacad units now play a key role in the country’s ongoing counterterrorism operations.

GAROWE ONLINE