Turkey extended its military forces' presence in Somalia by two additional years, amid an escalating influence struggle in the Horn of Africa with Israel entering the region at the end of 2025 by recognizing the breakaway territory of 'Somaliland'.

Experts who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat say there are several messages behind this extension, most importantly supporting Turkish influence in the Horn of Africa, protecting Ankara's large investment interests in Somalia, supporting Mogadishu in confronting the terrorist 'Al-Shabaab' movement, and countering any potential Israeli threats in the region.

New Extension

The Turkish parliament approved a presidential decree extending the mission of Turkish Armed Forces personnel in Somalia for two additional years, starting July 27, 2026, 'to support activities aimed at ensuring Somalia's security against terrorism and other threats,' according to the official Turkish news agency.

The decree, approved on Tuesday, confirmed that 'Turkey has established multi-dimensional cooperation with the Somali government since 2011 in political, social, economic, and security fields, serving the interests of both peoples,' explaining that 'Turkey has been cooperating with the international community for more than ten years to support the restructuring of Somali defense and security forces and enhance their counter-terrorism capabilities.'

It added that 'the Somali Federal Government requested Turkey, within the framework of the goals agreed upon under the Framework Agreement for Defense and Economic Cooperation, to provide support and assistance, including supporting the armed forces in combating terrorism, maritime piracy, illegal fishing, all forms of smuggling, and other threats.'

Since February 25, 2009, Turkish naval forces have participated in the international combined task force to combat piracy in Somalia and neighboring areas, and the combined naval forces, as part of a multinational coalition established in February 2002, aimed at enhancing security by combating piracy and terrorism in the waters of the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia, including the Red Sea, the Arabian Gulf, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, and the Indian Ocean.

Turkey extends the presence of its military forces in Somalia (Reuters)

Regional affairs specialist Dr. Karam Saeed believes that 'the Turkish parliament's step to extend its forces' mission in Somalia is linked to five main dimensions. The first relates to escalating tensions with Israel and the latter's efforts to neutralize Turkish influence in the region, especially after Israeli recognition of "Somaliland" as a state, and Israel's efforts to establish a naval base on the Red Sea in coordination with the territory.'

As for the second dimension, it is linked to 'Ankara's pursuit to develop its presence in energy projects in the African continent, specifically on the Somali coasts; where an agreement was signed about two years ago allowing Ankara to search for energy deposits on the Somali coasts,' according to Karam Saeed.

Regarding the third axis, Saeed sees that Turkey is 'working to capitalize on the decline of American and French influence in the African continent to maximize its own influence.'

He added that 'this extension is inseparable from developments in the US war on Iran, and is linked to a reconsideration of the use of geopolitics in the region, as a fourth dimension, where Turkey seeks to use its presence on the Somali coasts to form a strategic foothold that serves Turkish security and military movements in other areas, particularly in western Libya.'

The fifth dimension is that the continuation of Turkish military support 'is vital to confront the Al-Shabaab terrorist movement, which has begun to regain its capabilities and movements in recent months, so the presence of Turkish forces is an urgent necessity for Somalia at this time to neutralize terrorist groups and enhance stability in Somali territory.'

Strengthening Turkish Strategy

For his part, Somali affairs expert Abd al-Kamil Abshir believes that 'extending the mission of Turkish forces in Somalia is part of a long-term Turkish strategy aimed at entrenching political, military, and economic influence in the Horn of Africa, not just a temporary security response, especially since the opening of the largest military base outside Turkey in Mogadishu in 2017, Ankara has been building a multi-dimensional strategic partnership with Somalia.'

Thus, the extension carries a second axis according to Abshir, 'which is protecting Turkey's large investments in infrastructure, ports, airports, and development projects, in addition to securing Turkish citizens working in Somalia, as well as Turkish companies.'