Somalia’s federal government is calling for a formal investigation after a drone strike in the border town of Dolow on September 3 renewed debate over the role of foreign partners in Somalia’s security operations.
Information Minister Abdifatah Qasim Mohamud told journalists on September 5 that Türkiye “has neither meddled nor conducted airstrikes anywhere,” rejecting claims that a Turkish-operated or Turkish-supplied drone hit the residence of former Custodial Corps commander Brig Gen Mahad Abdirahman Aden.
“There is an organized campaign against the Turkish government, our brothers who have supported us for a very long time. While many other countries exist, Türkiye came to our assistance,” the minister added.
The federal government has suggested that preliminary information indicates the blasts may have resulted from explosives being prepared inside the house, and denies any role in an airstrike.
Amid the political tensions, the Turkish frigate TCG Göksu docked in the Mogadishu port on September 5 as part of a naval task group supporting maritime security and energy exploration off Somalia’s coast, including operations tied to the Cagri Bey drillship.
The port call represents a demonstration of Turkish naval capability and presence in the Horn of Africa and Indian Ocean region. Somali officials toured the vessel, highlighting ongoing defense, security and energy cooperation between the two countries.
Türkiye is one of the countries supporting Somalia’s federal forces in the fight against Al-Shabaab, a Somalia-based Islamist militant group formally aligned with al-Qaeda, particularly through air operations and military training.
Al-Shabaab holds significant power, controlling approximately 30% of Somalia (mostly rural areas in central and southern regions) and maintaining dynamic frontlines around the capital, Mogadishu. Its goal is to overthrow the Somali Federal Government and establish a strict fundamentalist Islamic state under its own version of Sharia law.
