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Camp TURKSOM
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 is aimed at aiding the Somali soldiers in fighting against Al-Shabaab, which received criticism from African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) for replicating its efforts in military training. The military base serves as Turkey's largest overseas military base. It covers a space of 400 hectares. 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.
The base was formally opened on September 30, 2017, in a ceremony presided by Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire of Somalia and General Hulusi Akar, Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces. The construction of the base cost an estimated USD$50 million. The construction started in 2017 and took approximately two years.
On 18 April 2019, a graduation ceremony attended by top officials from both countries was held for the 1st infantry battalion.
As of June 2023, nine Gorgor (Eagle) infantry battalions have been trained in Somalia (TURKSOM base) and in Turkey. They first underwent basic training in the TURKSOM training center for 3 months and were then airlifted to a commando training center in Isparta, Turkey to undergo commando training in the final months of their training.[citation needed] The 10th and 11th battalions are expected to respectively finish training between January - June 2024.
Since its establishment, the military base has been carrying out training alongside AMISOM; by 2020 it is expected that AMISOM activities would decline in Somalia, if not be fully terminated. AMISOM’s efforts have mainly been targeted by Al-Shabaab due to the majority of its staff and soldiers being composed of non-Muslims. Camp TURKSOM has proposed an alternative to this situation by offering training conducted by Muslims as well as aiming to raise a national army for Somalia.
Turkey-Somalia Military/Security Agreements 2009-2019
Over 10,000 Somali soldiers are expected to be trained at the base, according to Turkish military officials. It can train and house approximately 1,000 soldiers at a time. The base is approximately four square kilometers in size. Since its construction, officers and NCOs of all branches of the Somali Armed Forces graduate on a routine basis. The officer's course and training is 2 years, and the NCO course and training is a year long; upon graduation the officer candidates are promoted to 2nd Lieutenant and the NCOs are promoted to the rank of Warrant Officer Class 3. Inside and on the university's grounds, there are classrooms, a conference room, an on-site training ground, football pitches, basketball courts, maritime simulation rooms, language labs, barbers and other amenities. More than 300 Turkish military personnel are currently stationed at the base. The camp has the capacity to accommodate approximately 1500 trainees at a time. As of 2023, nearly 5,000 Somali trainees have graduated from the military camp.
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Camp TURKSOM
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 is aimed at aiding the Somali soldiers in fighting against Al-Shabaab, which received criticism from African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) for replicating its efforts in military training. The military base serves as Turkey's largest overseas military base. It covers a space of 400 hectares. 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.
The base was formally opened on September 30, 2017, in a ceremony presided by Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire of Somalia and General Hulusi Akar, Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces. The construction of the base cost an estimated USD$50 million. The construction started in 2017 and took approximately two years.
On 18 April 2019, a graduation ceremony attended by top officials from both countries was held for the 1st infantry battalion.
As of June 2023, nine Gorgor (Eagle) infantry battalions have been trained in Somalia (TURKSOM base) and in Turkey. They first underwent basic training in the TURKSOM training center for 3 months and were then airlifted to a commando training center in Isparta, Turkey to undergo commando training in the final months of their training.[citation needed] The 10th and 11th battalions are expected to respectively finish training between January - June 2024.
Since its establishment, the military base has been carrying out training alongside AMISOM; by 2020 it is expected that AMISOM activities would decline in Somalia, if not be fully terminated. AMISOM’s efforts have mainly been targeted by Al-Shabaab due to the majority of its staff and soldiers being composed of non-Muslims. Camp TURKSOM has proposed an alternative to this situation by offering training conducted by Muslims as well as aiming to raise a national army for Somalia.
Turkey-Somalia Military/Security Agreements 2009-2019
Over 10,000 Somali soldiers are expected to be trained at the base, according to Turkish military officials. It can train and house approximately 1,000 soldiers at a time. The base is approximately four square kilometers in size. Since its construction, officers and NCOs of all branches of the Somali Armed Forces graduate on a routine basis. The officer's course and training is 2 years, and the NCO course and training is a year long; upon graduation the officer candidates are promoted to 2nd Lieutenant and the NCOs are promoted to the rank of Warrant Officer Class 3. Inside and on the university's grounds, there are classrooms, a conference room, an on-site training ground, football pitches, basketball courts, maritime simulation rooms, language labs, barbers and other amenities. More than 300 Turkish military personnel are currently stationed at the base. The camp has the capacity to accommodate approximately 1500 trainees at a time. As of 2023, nearly 5,000 Somali trainees have graduated from the military camp.