Reports circulating in recent hours claim Turkish F-16 fighter jets have been deployed at Mogadishu airport — a move that is reviving questions about Turkey’s “air power” role in one of the Horn of Africa’s most sensitive arenas.
According to the reports, the deployment reflects growing Turkish involvement as tensions rise over airspace control in the region.
The background: the government of Somalia has for months attempted to impose restrictions on flights to Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, while claiming sovereignty over its airspace — despite having no effective control on the ground there. Now, following Somaliland’s reported recognition by Israel, Somalia is allegedly asking Turkey to help “enforce” those claims.
Pro-Somaliland sources warn that this may be an attempt to deter or block flights linked to Israel and the United Arab Emirates, as part of a broader struggle over Somaliland’s legitimacy and its growing international ties.