Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah has reported that MKEK will be delivering 450 7.62x51mm NATO MPT76 services to Somalia, and another 2,500 have been ordered by the Turkish Republic of Norther Cyprus.
Although the Somali order is quite small comparative to the size of the countries military, it would appear that these rifles are slated for either special operations use or possibly a section of the government responsible for head of state protection.
However the Northern Cyprus order is quite different in that the security forces of TRNC number around 15,000, so the 2,500 rifles will most likely be arming infantry units that need replacing of their current G3 rifles.
It must be noted that TRNC forces actually fall under the direct command of the Turkish armed forces, the current political situation on the island in regards to the north is very controversial and remains so to this day.
From the report-
A total of 450 rifles were delivered to Somalia, which is dealing with an insurgency. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) has ordered 2,500 rifles to be added to its inventory.
The exporting of MPT76s to Somalia appears to be along the lines of further Turkish support for Somalia after recent tragedies in Mogadishu, including the country’s first (and largest outside of Turkey, TRNC) military base in the region.
Similar to support from China to the Philippines in way of Norinco weapons, or Russia with Kalashnikovs, it shows a growing trend of larger powers exporting arms to hotspots around the globe.
