Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has arrived Turkey’s capital Ankara after receiving an invitation.
He met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan to discuss their cooperation in the military field.
The meeting was attended by Turkish Minister of Defense Yaşar Güler and the Head of the National Intelligence Organization, İbrahim Kalın.
Reliable sources say President Mohamud will sign agreements to secure advanced Bayraktar Akıncı drones in the battle against Al-Shabaab.
Since mid-last month, U.S. and Ethiopian fighter jets have bombed several areas in the Middle Shabelle region under Al-Shabaab’s control.
The sources suggested that President Mohamud plans to focus on airstrikes after his visit to the frontlines to assess the battlefield.
On Wednesday, he wrapped up his visit to Adalle town in the Middle Shabelle region after a dawn attack by Al-Shabaab in a nearby town.
The militants seized Masjid Cali Gadud town near Adalle where President Mohamud has been overseeing military operations.
Al-Shabaab said its fighters had killed 11 soldiers, captured five others alive, and seized weapons during the battle in the town.
Masjid Ali Gadud is one of the towns dislodged from Al-Shabaab in October 2022 following an offensive.
The Somali military denied the claims and insisted that their troops repulsed the attack and were in control of the town.
Turkey, a crucial ally, operates the largest overseas military base in Somalia and has been actively training SNA forces both in Mogadishu and Turkey.
Since mid-last month, Al-Shabab has intensified attacks in the Middle and Lower Shabelle and Hiran regions.
Despite being driven out of Mogadishu in 2011 by AU and SNA forces, Al Shabab continues to carry out deadly attacks.
The militant group has been battling to overthrow the government for over a decade to impose a hardline interpretation of Sharia law in Somalia.
