Politics & Security
Turkish Navy and Somali forces free hijacked ship: Ankara's role in the Horn enters a new phase
ANKARA — Türkiye is deepening its military footprint in the Horn of Africa, dispatching two naval vessels to the region and pledging continued support to Somali authorities following a ship hijacking in Somali territorial waters, the National Defense Ministry announced Thursday.
Speaking at the ministry's weekly press briefing in Afyonkarahisar, spokesperson Zeki Akturk said the frigates TCG Kemalreis and TCG Yzb. Gungor Durmus will visit Djibouti on September 3-4 in support of the Somali Naval Task Group and logistics transport missions to Somalia.
The deployment comes amid renewed concerns over maritime security off the Somali coast. Addressing the recent hijacking of a vessel in Somali territorial waters, the ministry said "necessary support" was being provided to Somali authorities in coordination with the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
Akturk stressed that the Turkish Armed Forces Somalia Task Force continues to operate under bilateral agreements between Ankara and Mogadishu, working to strengthen Somalia's capacity to combat both terrorism and piracy.
Türkiye has been one of Somalia's closest military partners for over a decade, running its largest overseas training facility in Mogadishu and, more recently, expanding cooperation into naval security under a landmark defense pact. Thursday's announcements signal that Ankara intends to keep playing a frontline role in securing one of the world's most strategically sensitive waterways, where piracy has re-emerged as a threat to international shipping.