Istanbul (Dawan Africa) – Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Thursday visited the Özdemir Bayraktar National Technology Center in Turkey, the main production site of Baykar Technologies, which manufactures the Bayraktar TB2 drones now actively operated by Somali forces.
The President, accompanied by Minister of Ports and former Defence Minister Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, was received by Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar. The visit follows recent defense agreements between Ankara and Mogadishu aimed at expanding military cooperation, including drone supply, training, and technical support.
The Bayraktar TB2, a medium-altitude, long-endurance drone capable of over 24 hours of flight and armed with precision-guided munitions, has been used by Somalia since 2022 in counterterrorism operations against Al-Shabaab. Multiple airstrikes using Turkish drones have been confirmed in HirShabelle and Southwest State.
Following the UN’s lifting of the arms embargo in December 2023, Turkey delivered two advanced Akıncı drones to Somalia in early 2024. The Özdemir visit marks a deepening shift toward Turkish defense systems, with additional training and support provided through the Turkish-run TURKSOM base in Mogadishu.
