Germany ends military mission in Somalia

By Ayhan Simsek

BERLIN (AA) - Germany has formally ended its military training mission in Somalia, the country’s armed forces (Bundeswehr) announced on Tuesday.

The armed forces have completed the withdrawal of military personnel and equipment from Somalia, Bundeswehr said on its webpage.

“In future, the engagement of Germany in Somalia will focus on the development of civilian structures to ensure security for the population,” it said.

German weekly Der Spiegel claimed the greater security risks in the country played a role in Berlin’s decision not to extend deployment of soldiers in the EU-led training mission in Somalia.

Since 2010, Germany had around a dozen military personnel within the European Union Training Mission in Mogadishu, which trained more than 5,600 Somali soldiers.