The United States in Somalia

1
The United States in Somalia

• Operation Restore Hope
• August October 1992

2
Where is Somalia?
3
Brief History of Somalia

• Post-World War II
• Was a protectorate of Great Britain
• 1960
• Achieved independence
• 1970s
• Military dictatorship
• Under Mohamed Siad Barre
• 1980s
• Somalia's strategic importance was diminished due
  to end of the Cold War
• Government became even more totalitarian

4
Somali Civil War 1991

• Results of the Somali Civil War
• Barre is ousted from leadership
• Disrupted agriculture, food water distribution
• Based on clan allegiances and competition for
  resources

5
Somali Civil War 1991

• More Results
• Famine approx. 300,000 dead
• UN Security Council authorized the limited
  peacekeeping operation
• Completely disregarded by the warring factions

6
Warlords

• The country was ruled by a number of warlords
• A person with power who has military and civil
  control over a an area
• Armed forces loyal to the warlord and not to a
  central government
• Alliance of warlords was formed in 1992
• Operated under the authority of Mohamed Farrah
  Aidid
• Declared himself President of Somalia

7
United States Response

• In December of 1992, President Bush ordered
  Operation Restore Hope
• Primary mission of restoring order in Somalia
• President Bill Clinton took office in January
  1993 and continued the Operation

8
The Home-Front

• Many Somalis resented the international forces
• Many took up arms and actively resisted the UN
  and US
• On June 5, 1993, one of the deadliest attacks on
  UN forces in Somalia occurred
• 24 UN soldiers were killed in Mogadishu
  (controlled by Aidid)

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The UN Responds

• The next day, the UN issued Resolution 837
  calling for the arrest and trial of those
  responsible for the ambush
• US and UN began an attack on Aidids control
• Aidid remained defiant, and the violence between
  Somalis and UN troops escalated

10
The Battle of Mogadishu

• Fought on October 3 and 4, 1993, in Mogadishu,
  Somalia
• Operation was to capture top officials to Aidid

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The Battle of Mogadishu

• During the operation, two US Black Hawk
  helicopters were shot down
• Some soldiers were trapped at the crash sites
• A combined task force was sent to rescue the
  trapped soldiers
• Results
• US Forces
• 19 Killed
• 84 Wounded
• Somali Forces
• Est. 700 Killed
• Est. 1,500 Wounded

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Fallout from Mogadishu
13
Fallout from Mogadishu

• American Foreign Policy
• Became a cautionary influence on US policy
• When US considers sending soldiers into foreign
  crisis zones remember Somalia
• Americans were repulsed at the images of
  soldiers' corpses being dragged through the
  streets

14
The End of International Involvement

• Withdrawal
• President Clinton called for a full withdrawal by
  March 1994.
• Marines were completely removed from the area by
  1995
• The UN also withdrew forces
• Ended the UN effort to help a country in anarchy
  and civil war

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The End of International Involvement

• Results
• Secretary of Defense Les Aspin resigned
• Blamed for denying the US Army permission to use
  tanks
• US politicians didnt want tanks in Somalia
• Thought it would look bad for peacekeeping

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THE END