Turkey is about to finish the construction of its first African military base in Somalia's capital of Mogadishu, media reported Saturday, Sputnik reported.
The base, at which Ankara will train about 10,000 Somalian soldiers in compliance with the bilateral security cooperation agreement, is being built with the United Nations' approval, the Garowe Online news agency reported.
Some 200 Turkish military specialists will arrive to the country soon to provide training, the media outlet said, citing its sources. Somalia has been experiencing violence since the country devolved into civil war in the early 1990s. The collapse into anarchy has provided a breeding ground for warlords, pirates and the al-Qaeda-associated group al-Shabaab.