Türkiye’s Ministry of National Defence (MSB) has rejected reports that the country will send 15,000 troops to Somalia, saying the claims do not reflect the facts, according to Anka, Yeni Şafak and İHA.
The ministry made the statement on Thursday in answer to a question at its weekly press briefing, according to Anka, Yeni Şafak and İHA, as published by Türkiye newspaper. Anka and İHA reported that the briefing was given by ministry spokesperson Rear Admiral Zeki Aktürk.
Briefing on board Savarona
The briefing was held on board TCG Savarona, according to Anka and Yeni Şafak. The ministry said the ship had been restored at the Istanbul Shipyard Command and is now used for naval training and for hosting delegations, Yeni Şafak and İHA reported.
Border figures
In the past week, 552 people were caught at the borders, including three members of terrorist organisations, and about 95 kg of narcotics were seized in Van and Hakkari, according to Anka and Yeni Şafak. All three outlets reported that one more PKK member had surrendered.
Since 1 January, 15,846 people have been caught trying to cross the borders illegally. A further 3,275 were stopped in the past week, bringing the number prevented from crossing this year to 62,896, according to Yeni Şafak and İHA.
Coming events
The NATO EDGE 2026 event, coordinated by the General Staff, will be held at the İzmir Fair Centre on 17–19 November with 284 technology firms, 30 of them Turkish, according to all three outlets. The 14th Türkiye–US naval cooperation meeting is scheduled for 16–18 November in Türkiye, Anka and Yeni Şafak reported.
The Turkish Stars aerobatic team will fly a display in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus on 15 November for the anniversary of its founding, according to Anka and Yeni Şafak.
Sources
- MSB, Somali’ye 15 bin asker gönderileceği iddiasını yalanladı (Anka)
- Somali’ye 15 bin asker gönderilecek mi? MSB’den açıklama geldi (Yeni Şafak)
- MSB’den ‘Somali’ye 15 bin asker gönderilecek’ iddiasına cevap: Gerçek değil (Türkiye Gazetesi / İHA)
Photo: CeeGee / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
