Somali police undergo counterterrorism training in Turkey

A group of Somali police officers underwent training in Turkey as the African country is embattled with terror attacks by the Al-Shabaab terrorist group.

In an elite school for the Turkish Army's commando units in the western town of Foça, police officers learned how to handle terror threats in a six-week course. The course, coordinated by Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) that provides development aid to Somalia and other countries, is part of a deal between Turkish and Sudanese governments. Currently, 10 police officers have been trained by Turkish officers on how to check residential areas for terror threats and neutralize terrorists in those areas, on handling landmines and homemade explosive devices and how to respond to attacks. They learned about types of explosives they may come across in counterterrorism operations and how to carry out counterterrorism raids.

Lt. Önder Yıldız, one of the trainers, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that his students are enthusiastic and eager to learn. "They are willing to learn new things and we are glad to be able to help them," he said. Yıldız added that the Somalian officers will be certified to properly respond to terror threats after completing the course.

Abdurrahman Abdullah Muhammad, a Somali police inspector attending the course, said it was a difficult training but "really efficient." "We saw Turkish hospitality here and learned things that would be beneficial for us back in Somalia. To be frank, it was a very challenging course for us and I remember losing my breath at times when putting what we learned into practice. There was no room for error and it was very realistic," he said.