Turkish Health Minister Ahmet Demircan arrived in capital Mogadishu on Monday morning to speed up Turkey’s support operations for the injured from Saturday’s truck bombing that left at least 276 people dead.
Demircan is accompanied by a delegation of 33 people, including a medical team specializing in emergency services, according to the Turkish embassy.
The Turkish minister was welcomed by Deputy Prime Minister Mehdi Ahmed, his Somali counterpart Fawzia Abikr, Foreign Minister Yusuf Garaad Oma and several other senior government officials.
At a news conference immediately after his arrival, Demircan said the Turkish government and its people shared the sadness of Somalis.
“Based on instructions given by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, we are working to offer assistance by providing medical aid and transporting casualties to Turkey where they will receive the necessary care,” he said.
Ahmed thanked the Turkish government for all its help.
“Our government thanks Turkey for its noble humanitarian position in helping Somalia in these critical circumstances,” he said.
He added that the visit of the Turkish health minister reflected the solid relationship between the two countries.
Earlier, a Turkish aircraft loaded with medical aid arrived at dawn in the Somali capital; it also carried medical emergency services staff.
The death toll from Saturday’s suicide truck bombing in Mogadishu has climbed to 276 dead and more than 300 others injured, Minister of Information Abdirahman Omar Osman said late Sunday
Source: Anadolu agency