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Turkey to open largest military base in Somalia

August 4, 2017 at 12:22 pm

Turkish soldiers seen during a ceremony in Azerbaijan [Ministry Of Defense Of Azerbaijan/Anadolu Agency]

Turkey is opening a military training camp in Somalia in September, the Anadolu Agency reported.

The camp has been under construction for the past two years, Somali Defence Minister Abdirashid Abdullahi Mohamed confirmed in a statement yesterday. The camp will be used for security and military forces in the Turkish Army.

Read: Turkey’s role in global stability

Some 200 Turkish soldiers will be stationed at the base in Somalia, involved in training exercises. It is unclear whether the troops will be involved in any other conflict related mission.

Up to 1,500 troops can be stationed at the camp at one time in what will become Turkey’s larges overseas base.

This piece was updated on 6th August 2017 at 16:51 BST