The Turkish government has gifted new rifles to Somalia as part of its plan to expand its influence in the region.
Up to 450 new MPT-76 rifles have been donated to the Somali National Army (SNA). They were built by Turkish armaments manufacturer MKEK.
A defence source in Mogadishu told Shephard that the rifles will probably be used by the SNA units that are trained by the new Turkish training facility that opened in the Somali capital at the end of September.
He added that the weapons are part of a sales drive to promote Turkish equipment in the