La Turquie déploie des chasseurs F-16 en Somalie
Turkey has deployed F-16 fighter jets to Somalia, two Turkish officials told AFP, as Ankara seeks to expand its military presence in the Horn of Africa.
According to one of these officials speaking on condition of anonymity, these devices will be used by Turkish military personnel stationed in Somalia, a country allied with Turkey.
"This is for our own safety," the source said, stressing that the planes are not intended for Somali military pilots.
This deployment of F-16s comes after Israel's recognition in late December of Somaliland, a self-proclaimed republic, a move described by Ankara as "a blatant interference in Somalia's internal affairs".
Somaliland unilaterally seceded from Somalia in 1991, but Somalia still considers it part of its territory.
Ankara is an important military and economic supporter of Somalia, which descended into a civil war in the 1990s that led to the collapse of the state.
Turkey's largest overseas military base was opened in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, in 2017.
Ankara maintains an operational force and an air command on the ground "in order to contribute to the development of Somalia's counter-terrorism capabilities through military assistance, training and advisory activities", according to the Turkish Ministry of Defense.
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