Turkey has finished its first military base in Somalia and will help train the country’s army to fight the deadly al-Shabaab terror group, a senior Turkish source told local media outlets on Saturday.
A Turkish military attache speaking on condition of anonymity said the UN-backed base will be operational by the start of 2017.
About 200 Turkish officers will be deployed to the facility in Mogadishu — the Somali capital — to deliver the first stage of training to over 10,000 Somali National Army troops and others soldiers from across Africa, he confirmed.
Turkish military officials in Somalia also said Ankara will open a firm in Mogadishu to make Somali military uniforms.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency on Friday, Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamad praised Turkey’s involvement in the Horn of Africa country:
“Turkey’s prominent role in Somalia can be seen at all levels: humanitarian, infrastructure, health and investment.
The newly progressed Turkish-Somalian deal reminds of the French initiative to send troops to Nigeria to train the national military to fight al-Shabaab terror group operating in the country.
Analysts believe that Turkish president Recep Tayyib Erdogan is trying to open a new door for his “Ottoman Empire” following his “predictable defeat in Syria.”
This year Erdogan visited Somalia for the third time in three years and opened Turkey’s largest embassy in Africa.
Source: Websites
