Mogadishu (Somalia Today) — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Friday presided over the graduation of a new class of army officers and non-commissioned officers at the Turkish-run TURKSOM military academy in Mogadishu.
The graduates completed a year of military education before taking part in a parade alongside the troops they are expected to command, the Somali presidency said.
Officials did not disclose the number of graduates.
Mohamud praised the officers for their discipline, endurance and professionalism during the training programme, describing them as the Somali National Army’s “leaders of tomorrow”.
He said Somalia expected them to serve the country with “loyalty, knowledge and patriotism” as they took on command responsibilities within the armed forces.
“The reputation of the Somali National Army has reached its highest point,” army chief General Ibrahim Mohamed Mohamud told the ceremony.
Senior Somali and Turkish defence officials attended the event, including Defence Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi and Turkish Land Forces Commander Metin Tokel.
Tokel arrived in Mogadishu for an official visit and received a military guard of honour from his Somali counterpart.
Mohamud said rebuilding, modernising and strengthening the armed forces remained a central government priority.
He said Somalia needed troops with the skills and capability to defend its sovereignty, secure the country and defeat Al-Shabaab, the Al-Qaeda-linked group that has waged an insurgency for nearly two decades.
The government refers to the militants as “Khawaarij”, an Arabic term used to describe religious outcasts.
The president thanked Turkey for its continuing support for Somali security forces, saying Ankara had played an important role in developing a professional national army capable of carrying out the country’s security responsibilities.
Military partnership
TURKSOM opened in September 2017 and has since become the centrepiece of military cooperation between Mogadishu and Ankara.
The four-square-kilometre complex, described by Turkish officials at its opening as the country’s largest overseas military training facility, can train more than 1,500 personnel at a time.
Thousands of Somali soldiers, officers and non-commissioned officers have completed training at the academy or travelled to Turkey for further military instruction.
Speaking at the opening ceremony in 2017, then Turkish military chief Hulusi Akar said Ankara would continue supporting Somalia until the country became “militarily stronger”.
Turkish-trained personnel include members of the elite Gorgor units, which Somali authorities have deployed in operations against Al-Shabaab and in efforts to restore federal authority across parts of central and southern Somalia.
Turkey also provides support in military planning, organisation, logistics and infrastructure.
Turkish military advisers work with Somali institutions, including the presidency, the defence ministry and the army, navy and air force.
The partnership has expanded beyond the training of ground forces.
Somalia and Turkey signed a 10-year defence and economic cooperation framework in February 2024, covering support for rebuilding, training, and equipping the Somali navy, as well as protecting the country’s long coastline.
The two countries have increasingly linked their defence relationship with maritime security, energy exploration and economic development.
Turkey sharply increased its involvement in Somalia after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Mogadishu during the devastating 2011 famine.
At the time, many foreign governments and international organisations managed their operations in Somalia from neighbouring Kenya due to security concerns.
Ankara has since emerged as one of Mogadishu’s closest international partners.
It has financed hospitals, schools, roads and other infrastructure while operating TURKSOM and providing direct support to federal security forces.
New major offensive
The graduation came as Mohamud’s government prepares another offensive against Al-Shabaab.
The president recently said his administration was developing what he called a final campaign to remove the group from Somalia, promising to present the plan to the public once officials had completed it.
Government forces and allied clan militias have recaptured several towns during successive offensives.
But Al-Shabaab still controls large rural areas in southern and central Somalia and continues to carry out bombings, assassinations and attacks on military positions.
The militants also retain the ability to strike in Mogadishu despite the presence of Somali forces and African Union troops.
Efforts to expand Somalia’s national army have taken on greater urgency as uncertainty grows over the future of the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia, known as AUSSOM.
The mission, which has nearly 12,000 personnel, replaced the previous African Union force at the beginning of 2025.
But disputes over long-term funding have raised concerns about its ability to maintain operations.
The United States has said it would oppose continued United Nations logistical support for the mission from next year, arguing that Somalia must take greater responsibility for its own security after years of international assistance.
The AU mission depends heavily on UN support for food, fuel, transport, communications and medical services.
Somali officials have repeatedly said that the country’s long-term security depends on building a unified, professional national army capable of gradually replacing foreign troops.
The latest TURKSOM graduates will now join that effort as the government faces growing pressure to show that years of military training and international investment can produce lasting gains against Al-Shabaab.
