The Somali military has killed 15 al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab terrorists in the central Galgaduud region, according to a statement issued on Sunday.
An operation was carried out by Gorgor, the Somali special forces trained by Turkey, in the village of El Dhere, 15 kilometers south of Dhusamareb, the capital of the state of Galmuduug.
In a brief statement on Twitter, the Somali army said dozens of al-Shabab terrorists were also injured in the operation.
A large weapons cache was also seized during the operation, a military official told Anadolu Agency (AA) by telephone.
Witnesses in the city told AA that they saw at least seven wounded soldiers rushing to the hospital for treatment.
Al-Shabab, for its part, claimed that it had killed seven military troops in the conflict.
Turkey provided special command training to 150 Somali soldiers as part of a military cooperation agreement between the two countries.
Relations between Turkey and the Horn of Africa have been historically strong and growing since President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan paid an official visit in 2011, the only visit by a non-African leader to Somalia in 20 years. Turkey has also continued its support for Somalia with humanitarian aid in the health, education and security sectors.
Turkey’s major aid effort at the height of famine in 2011 loved the country for many Somalis, and it has continued to provide assistance, much of it from private companies. Turkish organizations have also built schools, hospitals and infrastructure and have provided scholarships for Somalis to study in Turkey.
As the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) has extensive experience in fighting terrorists, Turkish training of the Somali military is helping to counter Somalia’s own terrorist threats.
Turkey’s largest overseas military training base, inaugurated in 2017, is located in Somalia and is also one of the largest foreign military centers in the country.
Somalia plunged into chaos after the 1991 overthrow of President Siad Barre’s military regime, leading to years of clan wars, followed by the emergence of the al-Shabab terrorist group, which once controlled large parts of the country and the capital.
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