Turkey extends troop mandate in Gulf of Aden, Somalia, Arabian Sea

[Deeq A.]

Amotion extending the deployment of Turkish troops in the Gulf of Aden, Somalia and the Arabian Sea until Feb. 10, 2023 was published in Turkey’s Official Gazette early Saturday.

The naval elements are deployed to ensure the effective protection of Turkish flagged vessels and commercial vessels linked to Turkey sailing in the region and to participate in joint operations against piracy, armed robberies and terrorism at sea, according to the motion that was approved Wednesday.

It added that supporting humanitarian aid activities in this field helps increase the operational efficiency of the naval elements of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and its experience in the region.

The motion supports the national policy of continuing cooperation with relevant countries and reinforces the role Turkey plays in the United Nations system on a regional and global scale, increasing its visibility, it said.

Since it was first approved by Parliament in 2008, the motion for the deployment has been extended 13 times.

The Gulf of Aden, near Yemen and close to the Bab al-Mandeb strait, the world’s fourth-biggest chokepoint for oil transit, is a strategic energy route for Middle Eastern crude oil.

The Arabian Sea and Somalia are adjacent to the gulf and the strait.

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