President Hails TURKSOM Graduates as Army's Leaders of Tomorrow

MOGADISHU (SONNA): The President of the Federal Republic of Somalia H.E. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Friday formally closed the training of officers and non-commissioned officers who successfully completed their year of military education at the TURKSOM Training School in Mogadishu, presiding over the graduation of the school's eighth class.

The President reviewed a joint military parade performed by the graduating officers, the non-commissioned officers and the troops they will lead, and commended the effort, endurance and discipline the graduates displayed throughout their training. He told the ceremony they are the leaders of tomorrow of the Somali National Army, from whom the nation expects service marked by loyalty, knowledge and patriotism.

President Hassan Sheikh emphasised that the Federal Government of Somalia places special priority on the rebuilding, modernisation and upgrading of the Somali National Army, so that the force commands the capability and skill to secure the country, defend Somali nationhood and eliminate the Khawaarij groups.

The President expressed his gratitude to the brotherly Government of Türkiye for the continuous support it provides to the development and improvement of the Somali forces, support he said has played a visible role in building a national army of skill and capability, able to answer the national duties that lie ahead.

The Commander of the Somali National Army General Ibrahim Mohamed Mohamud, addressing the graduation, captured the spirit of the day in a single sentence. "The reputation of the Somali National Army has reached its highest point," the Army Chief told the new officers and the assembled dignitaries.

The ceremony, held under the flags of Somalia and Türkiye, drew the senior ranks of both nations' defence establishments. In attendance were the Minister of Defence Ahmed Moalim Fiqi, the Minister of Ports and Marine Transport Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, Türkiye's outgoing Ambassador to Somalia Alper Aktaş, the Commander of the Land Forces of the Somali National Army Sahal Abdullahi Omar, and the Commander of the Land Forces of the Republic of Türkiye Metin Tokel, together with senior officials from both countries.

Commander Tokel's presence carried its own significance. The Turkish Land Forces Commander arrived in Mogadishu earlier in the day at the start of an official visit to Somalia, received with full military honours at Aden Adde International Airport by his Somali counterpart, and the graduation at TURKSOM formed the centrepiece of the visit's opening day. His attendance placed the two armies' land forces commanders side by side before a new generation of Somali officers trained through the partnership between their institutions.

The TURKSOM Training School, opened in Mogadishu in 2017, stands among the largest Turkish military training facilities outside Türkiye and has become the backbone of the two countries' defence cooperation, graduating successive classes of officers, non-commissioned officers and specialised units into the Somali National Army. The eighth class now joins a growing cadre of TURKSOM-trained leadership within the force.

The graduation arrives in a week in which the national leadership has moved the campaign against the Khawaarij to the centre of the public agenda. The President announced at the close of Independence Week that the government has a clear plan to end the group and will launch a final push to remove it from the country, to be shared with the public once finalised. In recent days, the Minister of Defence completed a 300 kilometre tour of frontline positions from El Dheer to the Qorilow training school in Middle Shabelle, ordering the forces there to full readiness, and senior commanders have confirmed the decision to intensify operations. The officers and non-commissioned officers who passed out on Friday graduate directly into that national moment.

The President's message to them joined the two themes of the day: a force being rebuilt and modernised with the support of a trusted partner, and a mission, the security of the country and the defence of the nation, that now passes into the hands of its newest leaders.