04.06.2025, 22:11
Zitat:Turkey delivers T129 Atak helicopters to Somalia
Ankara also handed utility helicopters to Somali Navy as fight against al-Shabab intensifies
Produced by Turkish defense compony TAI, the T129 Atak helicopters are widely used by Turkish military (Handout)
Produced by Turkish defence compony TAI, the T129 Atak helicopters are widely used by Turkish military (Handout)
By Ragip Soylu in Ankara
Published date: 4 June 2025 10:22 BST
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Last update: 10 hours 44 mins ago
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Turkey has ramped up its defence support to Somalia in its fight against al-Shabab militant group this week, following a phone call between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Somali counterpart on Saturday.
Sources familiar with the issue told Middle East Eye that Ankara delivered three T129 Atak attack helicopters to the Somali government this week.
Ankara also simultaneously handed over two utility helicopters to the Somali navy, as part of a defence agreement signed between the two governments in February 2024, which mandated Ankara to establish a naval force for Mogadishu.
Turkey has been training several Somali pilots to operate Atak helicopters for the past year. The shipment of the helicopters was delivered after the pilots completed their final stage of training.
Open-source data shows that around six Turkish A400M and Qatari C-17A transport aircraft have arrived in Mogadishu over the past week, potentially transporting the helicopters. MEE has reached out to Turkey's defence ministry for a comment.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/turke...rs-somalia