British troops in Somalia: What you need to know
1. What is Operation TANGHAM?
Operation TANGHAM is the codename given to the UK Armed Forces’ efforts in fighting Islamic extremists in Somalia by helping to restore security and stability in the region.
The British Army’s main aim of the deployment is to train, mentor and develop the Somali National Army.
British army personnel are currently deployed in Somalia to support 4 organisations; the United Nations (UN), the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), the EU and direct support to the Somali National Army (SNA).
There are currently over 60 personnel from the UK Armed Forces in Somalia contributing towards this mission.
2. Why are the UK Armed Forces in Somalia?
For over 25 years, Somalia has been without an effective Central Government, giving the opportunity for extremists to project violence. The Islamist terrorist group Al-Shabab (affiliates Al-Qaida) have been fighting a decades-long insurgency against the Government and African Union troops.
Somalia is always under a high threat of a terrorist attack and conflict. There are threats of kidnapping, and there are dangerous levels of violent crime.
The UK Armed Forces aim to provide stability and security to the people of Somalia. A more stable Somalia is a more stable Africa.
3. What training are we providing to the Somali National Army?
The British military have been training the Somalian Army since January 2017.
The training focuses on medical training, leadership development, intelligence, equipment care, engineering, logistics, and human rights.
In a train-the-trainer environment, the British are enabling the Somalians to train their future soldiers with the skills they are learning.
The training at first is low-level infantry skills, with the aim to implement a “soldier first” policy, so that they understand and can act as a professional army and also have the skills and drills needed to command their troops on the ground.
Once this is instilled, the training progresses to leadership skills, running an operations room, combat engineering, intelligence, and medical training. The United Nations (UN) will also deliver training on Human Rights and gender sexual violence.
There have been more than 500 British-trained recruits that have graduated in Somalia.
Find out where else the UK Armed Forces are deployed here:
