UPDATE - Turkey brings 10 wounded from Somalia

UPDATES WITH WOUNDED BROUGHT TO ANKARA BY PLANE, CHANGES HEADLINE

By Melda Altakhan

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey has brought wounded people in a suicide attack in Mogadishu over the weekend, to the capital Ankara on Tuesday.

Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca told Anadolu Agency that transport aircraft belongs to Turkish Armed Forces was transformed into air ambulance to bring 10 injured in the attack on the instructions of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Early in the day, members of the National Medical Rescue Team (UMKE) departed for Somalia’s capital to bring wounded for medical treatment.

On Dec. 28, at least 85 people were killed, including two Turkish nationals, and over 150 others wounded in a suicide truck attack in Mogadishu claimed by the al-Shabaab terrorist group.

“I can say that one of the Turkish citizens is intubated and his state of health is a little more serious and the other three injured are in better condition. Four of the injured Somalians' health condition is still critical.” Koca added.

Those wounded were firstly treated at Somalia’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan Hospital in Mogadishu. After the treatment, six injured including two Turkish citizens were discharged from the hospital.

Those wounded will be treated in Ankara City Hospital and Ankara Training and Research Hospital, Minister Koca added.

A medical team of nine people travelled on an A400M type military transport aircraft of the Turkish Armed Forces to treat four Turkish citizens and six Somalians.

Turkey has strong historical ties with Somalia on the principle of “win-win” relations, including more than 150 development aid projects carried out by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) since 2011.

*Writing by Burak Dag