TURKSOM: Turkish forces in Somalia

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Deployment information
Deploying nationTurkey
Host nation or areaSomalia
RegionSub-Saharan Africa
Military branch🏳️ Joint or multiple branches
Record typeStanding overseas presence
Operation or mission
Unit or formationTURKSOM
PersonnelNot disclosed
EquipmentAdvisers; under a 2024 agreement at least one frigate, two corvettes, a tank landing ship, three F-16s and air defense units
StatusConfirmed active
Start or report dateApr 16, 2026
Withdrawal or end date—
Last verifiedApr 16, 2026
ConfidenceMedium: one credible outlet

Background

TURKSOM is led by a lieutenant general. YetkinReport, citing Defence Ministry sources, reported in April 2026 that Turkey has more than 70,000 personnel in 13 countries. No per-country headcount was given.

Deployment timeline

  1. Record added from published reporting dated 2026-04-16.

Sources

Related deployments

Public information only. Locations are given at country or sea-area level. Figures are shown as the source reported them; estimates and claims are labeled. Spot an error? Request a correction.

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