Turkish army establishing military base in Somalia.
Ankara has started to build a military base in
Somalia to train soldiers from African countries to fight against
al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabab, a report says.
In a Monday report, Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah
cited military sources as saying that based on an agreement between the Turkish
and Somali governments, over 1,500 Somali troops will be trained by 200 Turkish
military officers at the base, being established in Somalia’s capital
Mogadishu.
Emil Tekin,
an official from the Turkish Foreign Ministry said last week that the "military
training center will also be an important base to provide military training to
all of Africa.”
Tekin added that the Turkish army is also planning
to build a military school in Somalia to train officers.
Since 2006, Somalia has witnessed deadly clashes
between government forces and al-Shabab militants, who say they aim to
overthrow the government in the African state.
The militants have been pushed out of Mogadishu and
other major cities in Somalia by government forces and the soldiers of the
African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), which is largely made up of troops
from Uganda, Ethiopia, Burundi, Djibouti, Kenya and Sierra Leone.
Last month, Turkey announced plans to construct its
first overseas military base in Qatar following an agreement signed between the
two countries. The base is expected to accommodate 3,000 soldiers.
Turkish army establishing military base in Somalia.
Turkish soldiers patrol along a road in the southeastern province of Sirnak.