Middle East Eye

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 told Middle East Eye.

Al-Shabab has made significant gains in central Somalia, notably capturing villages south of the capital Mogadishu last month. These areas are strategically important for Somali forces as they serve as a buffer zone to defend the capital from terrorist attacks, including car bombings.

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.

Turkey has maintained a significant presence in Mogadishu since President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s first visit to Somalia in 2011 under a humanitarian mission.

Since then, the relationship has deepened into a comprehensive commercial and security partnership. Turkish companies operate both Mogadishu’s airport and seaport, while Turkish state-owned oil firms conduct energy exploration missions on land and at sea, supported by Turkish naval forces.

Ankara has also formally pledged to protect Somali territorial waters and assist in the extraction of maritime resources, including fisheries along Somalia’s coast.

Following several strategic advances by Al-Shabab in March, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud visited Ankara and met with President Erdogan in a closed-door meeting attended only by Somalia’s then-defense minister.

The contents of the meeting remain undisclosed as it raised expectations on Turkey’s potential aid to this country. A senior Turkish official told MEE that Ankara plans to deepen its counterterrorism support to Mogadishu over time but declined to provide specifics.

Shabab advances

Many Ankara insiders believe Al-Shabab’s rapid gains are partly due to growing rifts between President Mohamud and the Somali political opposition.

Some suspect opposition elements may be turning a blind eye to the group’s activities to undermine the government ahead of next year’s crucial presidential elections.

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. Although Turkish TB2 Bayraktar drones were already in operation, Ankara has recently transported two Akinci drones to Somalia.

These drones, capable of flying at high altitudes for extended periods, are considered more effective against Al-Shabab due to their advanced night vision and 24-hour operational capabilities.

“Akinci drones are more suitable for targeting Al-Shabab, which primarily operates at night to avoid detection,” the source told MEE.

Another regional source told MEE that Turkey has no plans to directly engage Al-Shabab on the ground at this time, as doing so would require formal authorization from the Turkish Parliament.

“The Turkish troops are there solely to protect Turkish assets and to train and advise Somali forces. They will only engage Al-Shabab if absolutely necessary and in self-defence,” the source explained.

A second 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).

“The US military occasionally requests our assistance in targeting operations,” the official said, downplaying reports of tension between Ankara and Washington over their respective ties with Mogadishu.

Even though reports claimed that Ankara handed Turkish-made T-129 attack helicopters to Somalia, a Somali source told MEE that Somali pilots were still in training in Turkey, denying the news. 

However the source added that their training would be completed in the next two months, potentially allowing Somali army to fly helicopters later this year.

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.

Source: Middle East Eye