Turkey donates military vehicles to Somalia

Turkey has granted the Somali National Army (SNA) military vehicles, including trucks and ambulances, amid escalating clashes with the Al-Qaeda-affiliated terror group, Al-Shabaab.

The vehicles were received during a ceremony attended by the SNA chief of staff, Odowaa Yusuf Rageh, at the Turkish embassy in the Somali capital of Mogadishu.

“Turkish support is of great importance in the struggle against the Al-Shabaab terror group,” Rageh told Anadolu Agency.

Turkey-trained Somali soldiers have, for years, been fighting against Al-Shabaab militants. In August, Ankara sent 22 armoured vehicles to the SNA to help maintain security across the country after a decision by the African Union to withdraw its peacekeeping mission in Somalia, AMISOM.

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AMISOM forces are expected to leave Somalia in December as SNA will take over its duties.

Al-Shabaab is an armed movement affiliated to Al-Qaeda and was formed in 2004. It was reported to have adopted many terrorist operations that claimed hundreds of civilians’ lives.