MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Two Somali recruits were killed and at least 5 others wounded after guards at Turkish base in Mogadishu opened fire on Monday, an incident that might dash the hopes of youths enlisting for special police and military units trained by the Turkish military.
The incident has come after 200 out of 500 youths who wanted to join new Somali armed forces recruits – who are due to receive training at TURKSOM base in Mogadishu – were selected and the rest were told to return to their homes, triggering the ire of hundreds of unemployed youths and chaos inside the heavily guarded military camp.
It is not clear whether those soldiers who opened fire were members of the Turkish guards or Somali security forces.
Video circulating on social media shows covered bodies of two men outside Turkey’s largest overseas military base, which is located on the outskirts of Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu.
Some of the youths who survived the shooting told local media that the recruits had been killed “just because they had been asking to get into the army, to be employed and to serve their country”.
One of the survivors of the incident, Hassan Deq, has told Somaliguardian that those selected for the military training received the opportunity due to corrupt practices and that many of them were related to senior government officials.
“They were not tested for fitness and did not complete other requirements; they were just picked straight away,” Hassan said.
“About of 300 of us were told to leave and officials at the base refused to listen to our complaints.”
Somali military officials approached by Somaliguardian have declined to comment on the incident.
The government of president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo and TURKSOM officials have not yet commented on the deadly shooting at the military facility.
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