Global InformationCamp TURKSOM information
| Camp TURKSOM | |
|---|---|
Xerada TURKSOM | |
 Somali and Turkish delegation at Camp TURKSOM's opening, 2017 | |
  Camp TURKSOM | |
| Coordinates | 1°59′46″N 45°16′05″E / 1.996°N 45.268°E |
| Type | Military Base and National Defence University |
| Site information | |
| Operator | Turkey |
| Site history | |
| Built | September 2017 |
| In use | September 30, 2017 – present |
| Garrison information | |
| Current commander | Brigadier Mehmet Yasin Kalın[1][2] |
| Garrison | Somali-Turkish Task Force "African Eagle" |
Camp TURKSOM (Somali: Xerada TURKSOM, Turkish: Somali Türk Görev Kuvveti Komutanlığı) is a Turkish military base and a defence university in Mogadishu, Somalia.
Since its inception, Camp TURKSOM serves as the main hub of the task force dubbed "African Eagle" in which Turkey aims to train and prepare the officers and NCOs of the Somali Armed Forces, thereby helping the Somali government in its efforts to build a national military force that can sustain itself. The Turkish training are aimed at aiding the Somali soldiers in fighting against Al-Shabaab, which received criticism from AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) for replicating its efforts with regards to military training.[3][4] The military base serves as Turkey's largest Overseas military base.[5] It covers a space of 400 hectares.[6] Camp TURKSOM also has various political implications, as the military base, while countering Al Shabaab's foreign policy, politically serves Turkish interests and improves Turkey-Somalia relations. Criticisms have been posed to the base due to its centrality in Mogadishu leaving out other regions of Somalia such as Puntland and Somaliland.[7]
- ^ "Turkish military base in Somalia helps restore security". Daily Sabah. Retrieved 2018-04-13.
- ^ "Tuğgeneral mehmet yasin kalın, oltu kaymakamlığına ziyarette bulundu - Erzurum Haberleri". 3 March 2021.
- ^ van den Berg, Willem; Meester, Jos (2019). "Turkey in the Horn of Africa: Between the Ankara Consensus and the Gulf Crisis". Clingendael Institute.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ STEARNS, SUCUOGLU, JASON, GIZEM (April 2017). "SOUTH–SOUTH COOPERATION AND PEACEBUILDING: TURKEY'S INVOLVEMENT IN SOMALIA". South African Institute of International Affairs. Policy Insight 43: 1–11.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Reuterswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Shay, Shaul (6 January 2020). "Turkey and the war against Al Shabaab in Somalia" (PDF). Research Institute for European and American Studies. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:4was invoked but never defined (see the help page).