The Turkish Parliament approved late Tuesday the extension of mandate for naval troop deployment in Gulf of Aden, Somalian waters and Arabian Sea.

The Gulf of Aden -- near Yemen and close to the world's fourth-biggest chokepoint for oil transit, the Bab el-Mandab Strait -- is a strategic energy route for Middle Eastern crude oil.

The Arabian Sea and the Horn of Africa country of Somalia are adjacent to the gulf and the strait.

Since it was first approved by parliament in 2008, the motion for the deployment has been extended 12 times.