[Garowe] New technology is being deployed in the fight against al-Shabaab
...... Somalia's version of the Taliban
...Arabic for students ...
, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...
, with Ottoman Turkish drones Bayraktar TB2 being used to target the holy warriors, who still control large swathes of rural central and southern Somalia, in the latest survey unearthed by experts.
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Last week, Somalia confirmed that the drones manufactured in The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund...
were being used, with their origin being Baykar company which has strong ties with President His Enormity, Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First
 ...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than there are in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really most important...
's family, are now active in Somalia.
Previously, it was the United States army under the African Command leadership that has been using drones against al-Shabaab holy warriors in Somalia. The US has been helping the country pursue the al-Shabaab holy warriors.
Speaking in a town hall discussion, Somalia's newly appointed interior minister, Ahmed Malim Fiqi, said Turkey's drones are providing aerial combat and military reconnaissance to neutralize one of Africa's deadliest holy warrior groups amid a clan uprising against al-Shabaab in central Somalia.
"The US government is leading, and we really appreciate that they are providing air support and carrying [out] air strikes against the terror group... but the Ottoman Turkish government has also joined the offensive and is providing air support. Many other countries are also providing intelligence-gathering support," Fiqi said.
Somalia commanders are, however, involved in providing coordinates so that the drones avoid innocent civilians. The al-Shabaab is also believed to be using drones whose origin is in the Middle East but the manufacturing country is yet to be established.
"Turkey has been hugely involved in Somalia security and humanitarian affairs, but the [introduction of combat] drones is new," Abdisalam Guleyd, a security analyst and former Somalia deputy spy chief, told Middle East Eye.
"My understanding is that surveillance drones have been in the country for a while, but during his visit to Ankara, [newly elected] President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud asked the Ottoman Turkish government to support his efforts against the holy warriors militarily, but differently this time, and that could be the reason," he said, adding that he believes the Ottoman Turkish involvement will be more significant than that of the US given Ankara's strong military presence in the country.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud highlighted the Bayraktar TB2 drones' proven track record in conflicts in Libya, Syria, and Nagorno-Karabakh, and most recently in the Russia-Ukraine war, where they have been deployed by Ukrainian forces.
"If you look at the limited US air strike in Somalia, it has significantly reduced the group's military activities over the years, but, if Ottoman Turkish drones are fully involved, I think it would change the war, given the nature of Turkey's military strategy in other conflicts in recent years."
Turkey's move to provide air support to Somalia's war has not come as a surprise, given Ankara's immense military presence in the country and its efforts to increase its foothold in the Horn of Africa.
"Its role in Somalia, West Africa, and, more recently, its military engagement in Libya clearly shows that Turkey wants to expand its influence across the continent," Ibrahim Bachir Abdoulaye, a researcher on Turkey-Africa relations at the German University of Bayreuth, told MEE in October 2021.
The country is currently pursuing al-Shabaab holy warriors, especially in Central and Southern regions, with the military reportedly making gains. al-Shabaab holy warriors have been fighting to control the country, but the military has stood its ground to degrade the team.
Al-Shabaab militants have been counting losses in Galgaduud, Hiiraan and Bay regions following operations by the military, which has seen even citizens join the fight, which could trigger questions about ownership of weapons in the porous and fragile country.
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