Marines in Somalia...Again

HARGEISA, Somalia (Reuters) - U.S. Marines landed on Somalia's coast in one of their most visible hunts for militants in the country since they set up a Horn of Africa counter terrorism force in 2002, Somali officials said on Thursday.

So we're back to chasing the Islamo-fascists in Somalia again. My unit was sent over there by then President George H.W. Bush as part of a humanitarian and stabilization effort in 1992. In April of '93 control of the operation was handed to the UN, our unit left, our role of close air support over Mogadishu to be assumed by a Pakistani force that was ill-equipped at best. Shortly after the UN began rotating US troops out of the region, whatever sense of order the Marines had acheived soon returned to chaos, as Aidid began taking back some power and control in the region. From Slate.com:

The U.S., in 1992, sent Marines as part of a United Nations hunger relief effort. But "Aideed waits until the Marines withdraw, and then declares war on the remaining" U.N. forces, ambushing and killing a score of Pakistani peacekeepers. The Rangers are sent to "remove Aideed and restore order."

Here is a pretty accurate accounting of the Battle of Mogadishu, except for this bit about our failure to co-ordinate with UN troops:

No contingency planning or coordination with U.N. forces had been arranged prior to the operation. This lack of planning complicated the rapid recovery of the surrounded U.S. soldiers at the first crash site.

According to what I understood, the Pakistanis were supposed to have two birds in the air 24/7, just like we did. Where were they? The piece also leaves out what Slate at least adknowledges:

...the Rangers in fact succeeded in snatching and imprisoning the two Somali clan officials they were after.