Turkey has significantly bolstered its military support to Somalia in the ongoing fight against the Al-Shabaab militant group this week. The move followed a phone conversation on Saturday between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Somali counterpart.
According to sources familiar with the matter who spoke to Middle East Eye, the Turkish government handed over three T129 ATAK helicopters to the Somali government earlier this week. These advanced attack helicopters are intended to enhance Somalia’s counterterrorism operations against Al-Shabaab.
In a related development, Turkey also transferred two additional helicopters to Somalia’s naval forces. These deliveries are part of a broader defense cooperation agreement signed between the two countries in February 2024. The deal outlines Turkey’s commitment to supporting the Somali government through military training and the development of a capable naval force.
Over the past year, Turkey has been training a group of Somali pilots specifically to operate the T129 ATAK helicopters. The deployment of these helicopters to Mogadishu follows the pilots’ successful completion of advanced training in Turkey.
President Erdoğan reaffirmed Turkey’s commitment to expanding its counterterrorism assistance to Somalia. A statement from the Turkish presidency emphasized that the support will continue and intensify in the coming months.
