Turkey opens military base in Mogadishu to train Somali soldiersMOGADISHU/ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey opened its biggest overseas military base on Saturday in Somalia s capital, cementing its ties with the volatile but strategic Muslim nation and building a presence in East Africa. More than 10,000 Somali soldiers will be trained by Turkish officers at the base, a senior Turkish official said ahead of a ceremony in Mogadishu attended by Turkish military chief of staff Hulusi Akar. The opening of the $50 million base signals ever-closer ties between Turkey and Somalia. Turkey s relations with the Horn of Africa date back to the Ottoman Empire, but President Tayyip Erdogan s government has become a close ally of the Somali government in recent years. At the opening ceremony on Saturday, Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire thanked the Turkish government for opening the training school and said it would help the government  reconstruct  its national force    not based on clan...not from a particular place, but well-trained forces that represent the Somali people.  He noted that the military school was Turkey s biggest overseas. The facility can train and house 1,000 soldiers at a time and also has sports courts and a running track. Erdogan, whose roots are in political Islam, is an outspoken defender of Muslims, particularly those in need of humanitarian aid, such as Syrian refugees and Myanmar s Rohingya.  Analysts say that, in the aftermath of the Arab Spring, as Turkey s foreign policy forays close to home have floundered, Ankara has found a willing partner in Somalia.   It s a country where Turkey could make a difference without necessarily having to compete with regional or global powers,  said Sinan Ulgen, a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Ankara s initial focus on aid, as opposed to security assistance or overt backing of political parties, helped build trust, he added. Turkey s vast aid effort at the height of the 2011 famine endeared it to many Somali people, and it has continued to pour in aid, much of it from private companies. It has built schools, hospitals and infrastructure and provided scholarships for Somalis to study in Turkey. Erdogan has visited Mogadishu twice, and when he made his first trip there in 2011 he became the first non-African leader to visit the war-ravaged nation in 20 years. Rapidly growing trade between the two nations has followed. In 2010, Turkish exports to Somalia totaled just $5.1 million. By last year, they had ballooned to $123 million. In the space of six years Turkey has gone from Somalia s 20th-largest source of imports to its fifth-largest.  Turkey really has won the hearts and minds of Somali people,  Information Minister Abdirahman Omar Osman told Reuters this month.  Somalia s government has also been a vocal backer of the Erdogan government in its bid to quash Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen s influence abroad. The Somali cabinet immediately ordered schools and a hospital in Mogadishu linked to Gulen to be shut in the aftermath of last year s failed coup, which Erdogan has repeatedly blamed on the cleric. Gulen denies involvement. Somalia s government has a number of foreign backers, including the United Nations, the African Union, and the United States, who are assisting it in building a functional national army capable of taking on the fight against the militant al-Shabaab group. The militants were driven out of Mogadishu in 2010, but their deadly attacks remain one of the main obstacles to stability in the chaotic Horn of Africa country, which lies along one of the world s busiest shipping routes. The Somali government has praised Turkish investment for improving infrastructure in the country, and the information minister singled out Turkey s new move into security support.  We are very happy they are giving us modern facilities for our security forces,  he said.  This is something that Somalia has never seen even though countries like the U.S. and UK are giving us millions. The difference is the camp Turkey built is an institution that will remain for the next 50 or 100 years.  The Turkish official who spoke to Reuters before the opening said the base was in line with Ankara s priority of expanding its weapons sales  to new markets . worldnews
turkey opens military base mogadishu train somali reuters turkey opened biggest overseas military base saturday somalia capital commenting ties volatile strategic muslim nation building presence east africa more somali soldiers trained turkish officers base senior turkish official said ahead ceremony mogadishu attended turkish military chief staff hulls aka the opening million base signals ties turkey somalia turkey relations horn africa date back ottoman empire president tayyip erdogan government become close ally somali government recent years at opening ceremony saturday somali prime minister hassan ali share thanked turkish government opening training school said would help government reconstruct national force based clan particular place forces represent somali people he noted military school turkey biggest overseas the facility train house soldiers time also sports courts running track erdogan whose roots political islam outspoken defender muslims particularly need humanitarian aid syrian refugees myanmar rohingya analysts say aftermath arab spring turkey foreign policy forays close home foundered kara found willing partner somalia it country turkey could make difference without necessarily compete regional global powers said sina gen visiting scholar carnegie endowment international peace kara initial focus aid opposed security assistance overt backing political parties helped build trust added turkey vast aid effort height famine entered many somali people continued pour aid much private companies it built schools hospitals infrastructure provided scholarships somalia study turkey erdogan visited mogadishu twice made first trip became first leader visit nation years rapidly growing trade two nations followed in turkish exports somalia totaled million by last year balloon million in space six years turkey gone somalia source imports turkey really hearts minds somali people information minister abdirahman omar oman told reuters month somalia government also vocal backer erdogan government bid squash muslim cleric fethullah gules influence abroad the somali cabinet immediately ordered schools hospital mogadishu linked gules shut aftermath last year failed coup erdogan repeatedly blamed cleric gules denies involvement somalia government number foreign backers including united nations african union united states assisting building functional national army capable taking fight militant group the militants driven mogadishu deadly attacks remain one main obstacles stability chaotic horn africa country lies along one world busiest shipping routes the somali government praised turkish investment improving infrastructure country information minister singled turkey new move security support we happy giving us modern facilities security forces said this something somalia never seen even though countries like uk giving us millions the difference camp turkey built institution remain next years the turkish official spoke reuters opening said base line kara priority expanding weapons sales new markets worldnews
Your task is to classify the provided input as real or fake news. Label 0 is meant for fake news, Label 1 is for real news. TEXT: Turkey opens military base in Mogadishu to train Somali soldiersMOGADISHU/ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey opened its biggest overseas military base on Saturday in Somalia s capital, cementing its ties with the volatile but strategic Muslim nation and building a presence in East Africa. More than 10,000 Somali soldiers will be trained by Turkish officers at the base, a senior Turkish official said ahead of a ceremony in Mogadishu attended by Turkish military chief of staff Hulusi Akar. The opening of the $50 million base signals ever-closer ties between Turkey and Somalia. Turkey s relations with the Horn of Africa date back to the Ottoman Empire, but President Tayyip Erdogan s government has become a close ally of the Somali government in recent years. At the opening ceremony on Saturday, Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire thanked the Turkish government for opening the training school and said it would help the government  reconstruct  its national force    not based on clan...not from a particular place, but well-trained forces that represent the Somali people.  He noted that the military school was Turkey s biggest overseas. The facility can train and house 1,000 soldiers at a time and also has sports courts and a running track. Erdogan, whose roots are in political Islam, is an outspoken defender of Muslims, particularly those in need of humanitarian aid, such as Syrian refugees and Myanmar s Rohingya.  Analysts say that, in the aftermath of the Arab Spring, as Turkey s foreign policy forays close to home have floundered, Ankara has found a willing partner in Somalia.   It s a country where Turkey could make a difference without necessarily having to compete with regional or global powers,  said Sinan Ulgen, a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Ankara s initial focus on aid, as opposed to security assistance or overt backing of political parties, helped build trust, he added. Turkey s vast aid effort at the height of the 2011 famine endeared it to many Somali people, and it has continued to pour in aid, much of it from private companies. It has built schools, hospitals and infrastructure and provided scholarships for Somalis to study in Turkey. Erdogan has visited Mogadishu twice, and when he made his first trip there in 2011 he became the first non-African leader to visit the war-ravaged nation in 20 years. Rapidly growing trade between the two nations has followed. In 2010, Turkish exports to Somalia totaled just $5.1 million. By last year, they had ballooned to $123 million. In the space of six years Turkey has gone from Somalia s 20th-largest source of imports to its fifth-largest.  Turkey really has won the hearts and minds of Somali people,  Information Minister Abdirahman Omar Osman told Reuters this month.  Somalia s government has also been a vocal backer of the Erdogan government in its bid to quash Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen s influence abroad. The Somali cabinet immediately ordered schools and a hospital in Mogadishu linked to Gulen to be shut in the aftermath of last year s failed coup, which Erdogan has repeatedly blamed on the cleric. Gulen denies involvement. Somalia s government has a number of foreign backers, including the United Nations, the African Union, and the United States, who are assisting it in building a functional national army capable of taking on the fight against the militant al-Shabaab group. The militants were driven out of Mogadishu in 2010, but their deadly attacks remain one of the main obstacles to stability in the chaotic Horn of Africa country, which lies along one of the world s busiest shipping routes. The Somali government has praised Turkish investment for improving infrastructure in the country, and the information minister singled out Turkey s new move into security support.  We are very happy they are giving us modern facilities for our security forces,  he said.  This is something that Somalia has never seen even though countries like the U.S. and UK are giving us millions. The difference is the camp Turkey built is an institution that will remain for the next 50 or 100 years.  The Turkish official who spoke to Reuters before the opening said the base was in line with Ankara s priority of expanding its weapons sales  to new markets . worldnews
Your task is to classify the provided input as real or fake news. Label 0 is meant for fake news, Label 1 is for real news. TEXT: turkey opens military base mogadishu train somali reuters turkey opened biggest overseas military base saturday somalia capital commenting ties volatile strategic muslim nation building presence east africa more somali soldiers trained turkish officers base senior turkish official said ahead ceremony mogadishu attended turkish military chief staff hulls aka the opening million base signals ties turkey somalia turkey relations horn africa date back ottoman empire president tayyip erdogan government become close ally somali government recent years at opening ceremony saturday somali prime minister hassan ali share thanked turkish government opening training school said would help government reconstruct national force based clan particular place forces represent somali people he noted military school turkey biggest overseas the facility train house soldiers time also sports courts running track erdogan whose roots political islam outspoken defender muslims particularly need humanitarian aid syrian refugees myanmar rohingya analysts say aftermath arab spring turkey foreign policy forays close home foundered kara found willing partner somalia it country turkey could make difference without necessarily compete regional global powers said sina gen visiting scholar carnegie endowment international peace kara initial focus aid opposed security assistance overt backing political parties helped build trust added turkey vast aid effort height famine entered many somali people continued pour aid much private companies it built schools hospitals infrastructure provided scholarships somalia study turkey erdogan visited mogadishu twice made first trip became first leader visit nation years rapidly growing trade two nations followed in turkish exports somalia totaled million by last year balloon million in space six years turkey gone somalia source imports turkey really hearts minds somali people information minister abdirahman omar oman told reuters month somalia government also vocal backer erdogan government bid squash muslim cleric fethullah gules influence abroad the somali cabinet immediately ordered schools hospital mogadishu linked gules shut aftermath last year failed coup erdogan repeatedly blamed cleric gules denies involvement somalia government number foreign backers including united nations african union united states assisting building functional national army capable taking fight militant group the militants driven mogadishu deadly attacks remain one main obstacles stability chaotic horn africa country lies along one world busiest shipping routes the somali government praised turkish investment improving infrastructure country information minister singled turkey new move security support we happy giving us modern facilities security forces said this something somalia never seen even though countries like uk giving us millions the difference camp turkey built institution remain next years the turkish official spoke reuters opening said base line kara priority expanding weapons sales new markets worldnews