Download - The United States in Somalia
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The United States in Somalia
“Operation Restore Hope”
August – October 1992
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Where is Somalia?
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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 Aidid’s control– Aidid remained defiant,
and the violence between Somalis and UN troops escalated
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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
• 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
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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 didn’t want tanks in Somalia
• Thought it would look bad for “peacekeeping”
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THE END