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June 2, 2026

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This picture taken on Oct. 19, 2020 in Istanbul shows Turkey's third drilling ship 'Kanuni' as it enters the bosphorus near Haydarpasa port.

Turkey launches first overseas drilling mission in Somalia: What to know

A drilling ship has reached Somalia to start Turkey's first overseas drilling mission as regional rivalry heats up in the Horn of Africa.

Turkey's Camp TURKSOM, a Turkish military base south of Mogadishu, is seen from the window of an aircraft, on April 26, 2025, in Mogadishu, Somalia.

Analysis

Turkey’s expanding military role in Somalia draws scrutiny amid federal rift

Turkey’s expanding military footprint in Somalia is drawing criticism amid deepening federal-regional tensions, with Ankara denying it is taking sides.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Somalis celebrate the victory of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after he won the presidential run-off election during the celebration organised by the government in Mogadishu, on May 29, 2023. (Photo by Hassan Ali Elmi / AFP) (Photo by HASSAN ALI ELMI/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey touts Somalia spaceport as Horn of Africa rivalry heats up

A high-level presidential aide said the facility could open new avenues in defense and technology sharing between Turkey and Somalia.

Latest News

Unfazed by Saudi pressure, UAE unveils solar investment in Somaliland

FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images

United Arab Emirates

On first Horn of Africa trip in 10 years, Erdogan cautions Ethiopia over Somaliland

Marco Simoncelli / AFP via Getty Images

Turkey’s Erdogan heads to Ethiopia amid tensions over Horn of Africa

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan looks on as Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (not pictured) addresses the media during a joint press conference at the Presidential Complex, Ankara, Turkey, Feb. 11, 2026.

Turkey declares Somalia unity a priority after Israel's Somaliland recognition

HASSAN ALI ELMI/AFP via Getty Images

Members of the Somali parliament vote by a show of hands in Mogadishu December 2, 2013. Somalia's parliament voted on Monday to sack Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon, the speaker of parliament said, after a row with the president that has paralysed the state and threatened a shaky recovery from war. The prime minister, who was appointed last year, fell out with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud over what legislators said was a dispute over the composition of a new cabinet, prompting Monday's no confidence v

Somalia's democracy a pleasant surprise

The Arab League and the African Union should support the nascent democratic transition in Somalia.

A helicopter flies as smoke rises over Westgate shopping centre after an explosion in Nairobi, September 23, 2013. Powerful explosions sent thick smoke billowing from the Nairobi mall where militants from Somalia's al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group threatened to kill hostages on the third day of a raid in which at least 59 have already died. REUTERS/Karel Prinsloo (KENYA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST CRIME LAW) - RTX13WO3

Kenya Terror Strike Al-Qaeda's Latest In Global Jihad

Al-Qaeda continually reconstitutes itself as a global terrorist threat, headquartered in Pakistan, and with franchises throughout Africa, the Middle East and worldwide.

Kenyan soldiers hold their rifles near the Westgate shopping centre in Nairobi September 23, 2013. Thick smoke poured from the besieged Nairobi mall where Kenyan officials said their forces were closing in on Islamists holding hostages on Monday, three days after a raid by Somalia's al Shabaab killed at least 62 people. It remained unclear how many gunmen and hostages were still cornered in the Westgate shopping centre, two hours after a series of loud explosions and gunfire were followed by a plume of blac

Defeating Al-Shabab Requires Kenya-Somalia Cooperation

The terrorist attack at the Kenya shopping mall on Sept. 21 signals that al-Shabab has reconstituted itself in East Africa.

Erdogan Silent on Nairobi Mall Attack

Erdogan’s silence on terror attacks in Kenya and Pakistan raises the question of whether he is taking a balanced approach in his criticism of the West.

African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) secure the scene of a suicide bomb attack outside the United Nations compound in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, June 19, 2013. A suicide bomber and several gunmen attacked a United Nations compound in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Wednesday, police and witnesses said, in a strike that bore the hallmarks of al Qaeda-linked militants. REUTERS/Feisal Omar (SOMALIA - Tags: SOCIETY CIVIL UNREST CRIME LAW MILITARY) - RTX10TBM

Islamist Al-Shabab 2.0 Threatens Somalia

Al-Qaeda-linked Somali terrorist group al-Shabab is more lethal than ever.

The Horn of Africa