Turkey deployed three F-16 fighter jets to Mogadishu on Wednesday amid increasing Turkish investments in Somalia’s energy and space sectors.
Somali officials familiar with the matter told Middle East Eye that Ankara has been constructing a facility to host the F-16s over the past few months.
Turkish engineers have reportedly been working at the international airport for several days to prepare the site for the arrival of the jets.
Analysis of satellite images by MEE indicates that several new hangars have been constructed at the airport since September. Open-source data indicates a number of Turkish cargo flights have taken place in the past 10 days, possibly delivering spare parts and ammunition for the jets.
A source familiar with the deployment told MEE that the F-16s were stationed in Somalia as a precursor to Ankara’s plans to send an oil exploration platform to Somalia.
The platform will start to drill off the Somali coast later this year.
A spaceport project in northern Mogadishu is also in the planning stages.
While the Turkish defence ministry did not specifically comment on the issue, ministry sources told local media on Thursday that Ankara does, in fact, maintain an air command in Somalia.
“Our Air Component Command and the Somali-Turkish Task Force based in Somalia continue to contribute to enhancing Somalia’s capacity to combat terrorism through military assistance, training, and advisory activities,” the sources told the local news outlets.
Al-Shabab and Israeli threats
Ankara has for years helped Somalia combat the armed group al-Shabab, which still controls large swathes of territory in the country.
However, Israel’s recognition of the breakaway state of Somaliland earlier this month, along with rising tensions in the Horn of Africa, have made Ankara’s presence in Somalia more critical than ever.
On Wednesday, the Turkish government emphasised Somalia’s territorial integrity in a statement released after the first National Security Council meeting of 2026, the country’s top body overseeing defense matters.
“Turkey’s support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia was underscored, and it was emphasised that Turkey will continue to uphold the bonds of brotherhood by standing with the Somali people in their fight against terrorist organisations,” the statement said.
On the same day, Somalia’s cabinet unanimously appointed Brigadier General Ibrahim Mohamed Mohamud as the new commander of the Somali National Army (SNA).
Mohamud holds a Masters degree from a Turkish university and has also received training at the Turkish Defence University in various capacities.
In addition to a number of armed drones, such as the TB2 Bayraktar and Akinci, MEE previously reported that Ankara deployed three T129 Atak attack helicopters to Mogadishu in June.
At the same time, Turkey handed over two utility helicopters to the Somali navy as part of a defense agreement signed between the two governments in February 2024, which also mandates Ankara to help establish a naval force for Mogadishu.
Since 2011, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has invested heavily in Somalia, establishing the largest Turkish embassy in the world in Mogadishu and providing over $1bn in humanitarian aid in response to devastating droughts.
Turkey now operates a large military base in Mogadishu, while Turkish companies manage both the city’s airport and port.
Ankara has also trained thousands of Somali soldiers, representing roughly one-third of Somalia’s military, both in Turkey and at its Mogadishu base, known as Turksom.
By The Middle East Eye
Email your news TIPS to Editor@Kahawatungu.com — this is our only official communication channel
