Somalia’s Defense Minister, Ahmed Moallim Fiqi on Wednesday confirmed that Turkey provided three F-16 fighter jets to the Somali army.
The announcement follows recent sightings of fighter jets taking off from and landing at Mogadishu airport.
Fiqi hinted that the jets will be used as part of military operations against the Al-Shabaab militant group.
Security sources also raised the possibility that Somalia could use the jets to enforce its sovereignty over national airspace, which has been exploited for decades.
The sources said the delivery of the jets had been planned long in advance, in tandem with the training of Somali pilots in Turkey and Qatar.
