Two Turkish military aircraft have landed at Aden Adde Airport in Mogadishu, Turkish media sources said.
The aircraft were reportedly carrying up to 500 Turkish troops.
The reports added that the total number of Turkish troops expected to be deployed to Somalia could exceed 2,500, although the exact number has not been officially announced.
The arrival of these troops comes as the Somali government is engaged in a serious battle with the Al-Shabaab group. Turkish warplanes are also taking part in airstrikes against Al-Shabaab.
In July last year, the Turkish parliament approved a motion signed by the country’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, authorizing the deployment of military forces to Somalia for a period of two years.
The move is part of efforts to support Somalia’s security and counter-terrorism efforts, through a defense cooperation agreement between the two countries.
The motion passed by the Turkish parliament also noted that Turkey has been continuously supporting Somalia for more than a decade in the areas of training, assistance, and security advice, in order to ensure stability and build the country’s defense and security institutions, which are capable of independently dealing with terrorist threats.
