Body of Turkish aid worker killed by bomb in Somalia airlifted home for burial

By Mohamed Dhaysane

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) - The body of a Turkish humanitarian aid worker who lost his life in a “heinous” terrorist attack in Somalia was sent to Türkiye for burial on Friday.

Abdurrahim Yoruk, an aid worker working for Safa Vakfi, a Turkish humanitarian group, was killed in Mogadishu’s Garasbaley neighborhood on Thursday after a bomb targeted his vehicle while it was en route to distribute food aid at an internally displaced persons camps in the capital.

Somali Cabinet ministers, members of the federal parliament, and other senior government officials joined Alper Aktas, the Turkish ambassador to Somalia, in seeing off the body at the Adan Adde International Airport in Mogadishu.

The Somali national emergency and disaster management agency chief sent his condolences to Aktas on behalf of the people and government of Somalia for the “tragic incident, praying for eternal peace for the deceased and a swift recovery for the injured."

“The Turkish citizens were engaged in a noble humanitarian effort, providing iftar meals to underprivileged families in the city of Mogadishu," said the agency in a statement on X, referring to fast-breaking meals at sunset for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

“Today, we sent the body of our citizen Abdurrahim Yoruk, who lost his life in the heinous terrorist attack in Somalia, to our country. Esteemed Ministers, Parliamentarians and officials of the Federal Republic of Somalia were also present at the airport,” the Turkish Embassy in Mogadishu said in a statement.

It said it wished Allah’s grace on the member of the Somali security forces who lost his life in the terrorist attack and wished a speedy recovery to the injured who continue their treatment at Mogadishu’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Hospital, a facility renovated by the Turkish government.

“Türkiye will continue to provide its steadfast support to Somalia in its fight against terrorism,” the embassy added.

Somalia has been plagued by insecurity for years, with the main threats emanating from the terror groups al-Shabaab and Daesh/ISIS.

Al-Shabaab has stepped up attacks since Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared an "all-out war" on the group.

Türkiye, a close ally of Somalia, has invested in education, infrastructure, and health in the Horn of Africa country, and given it extensive humanitarian aid.

Türkiye has its largest embassy in Africa in Mogadishu and also built its largest overseas military facility there to train the Somali national army.