First 2 July 1993 lights, the 11 CANGURO operation begins. For the men of the operation IBIS (code name of the mission in Somalia) means the umpteenth roundup in an inhabited area of Mogadishu in search of weapons.
The Italian military - for eight months engaged in Somalia - are now used to moving through the narrow, crowded streets of the city, a consolidated routine, although this time it moves with more substantial forces than usual and with unusual notice of a few hours.
The peace mission in Somalia began in December of the 1992, with the deployment - completed in January of 1993 - of 2.314 military (the vast majority of the lever), with over 900 vehicles. By number it represented the second western contingent after the United States.
The Army is the most widely used armed force, in fact it deploys in the Somali territory several companies of the 186 ° and 187 ° Paratroopers Regiment, in addition to the Col Moschin raiders and the Carabinieri paratroopers of Tuscania, the Folgore Brigade (for a total of about 1050 men); two platoons of tanks of the 132 ° Armored Regiment of the Aries Brigade equipped with 10 tanks M-60A1; some elements of the 19 ° Regiment Cavalleggeri Guide - then replaced by 8 ° Montebello Lanterns Regiment - with four heavy B-1 CENTAURO (at the operational debut) and 18 light vehicles 4x4 FIAT 6614. Air support is guaranteed by the Army Light Aviation (ALE) with six AB-205s armed with M-21 weapon systems (minunun machine guns from 7,62 mm and rocket launchers from 70 mm) or M-23 (two MG machine guns) 42 / 59 from 7,62 mm), four CH-47C CHINOOK and three A-129 MANGUSTA combat helicopters with ITOW anti-tank missile systems.
They are not yet the 6.00; the Italian column moves, winding through the still uncrowded streets of the Somali capital, exceeds the check point Pasta and is positioned within the perimeter of operation. The objective of the mission is the quadrilateral of 400 meters for 700, between Pasta and the check point Iron, the other Italian stronghold in a district occupied by the men of the Ha-ber-ghidir tribe, the one to which the militia of General Aidid belong.
The Italian paratroopers are about 550, on board of VCC-1 and transport troops FIAT 6614, supported also by seven M-60A1 tanks of the 132 ARIETE and by the same number of heavy BULLY CENTURIES of the Lancieri di Montebello. In fact, to reinforce the deployment, the Command has sent the troops of the BRAVO Grouping to the north of Mogadishu from Balad. The whole operation is supported by the AB-205 multirole helicopters and the MANGUSTA attack units, ready to signal any threats and intervene to neutralize them.
With the collaboration of the Somali police begins the raking house by house, looking for weapons. The tension between the two major Somali leaders, Aidid and Ali Mahdi, is skyrocketing warlords they do not seem willing to put an end to the continuous clashes, the possibility, therefore, that from one moment to the next there are clashes with the multinational contingent is very high. Precisely for this reason the deployment fielded by General Loi, commander of the Italian forces in Somalia, is impressive.
The mopping is almost finished. The parishes have identified many weapons depots, some Somalis have been stopped and taken to the base to be interrogated. The return order arrives, the vehicles reverse the march and start to leave the neighborhood. A part of the column goes to the check point IRON - it is the ALFA grouping that must return to the Old Port - the other, the BRAVO Group military, moves towards the check point Pasta, to return to Balad.
The head of the column is approaching Balad when the first clashes begin. Suddenly you hear the screams of swarms of women and children advancing towards Italian vehicles still left in the area. The first barricades appear, tires on fire, cars overturned and all sorts of furnishings slow down the march of our soldiers.
In a few minutes the barricades become more substantial. What initially appeared to be the usual demonstration of protest against the multinational contingent in Mogadishu is a full-scale ambush.
What is behind the decision of the militia to attack Italian soldiers is not yet clear. Items never confirmed (and never denied) by the high military spheres, refer to a reaction to an Italian plan to capture Aidid (then at the top of the lists of the wanted for terrorism). It would seem that a team of the SISMI (Service for Military Information and Security) had located it in the neighborhood of its loyalists and was very close to its capture. Whatever the truth, hell breaks out in Mogadishu on the morning of the 2 July.
The vehicles are forced to proceed slowly, the Somali protests prevent maintaining distances and speed of safety. A rain of stones begins to arrive, to make the crowd flinch, the Italian soldiers launch smoke bombs, some flash-bang devices, but now the trap has been triggered.
In fact, behind the deployment of women and children, militiamen armed with AK-47 and RPG-7 counter rocket launcher appear; the demonstrators act as a shield, behind them the shooters start shooting at the para. Panic breaks out, nobody expected it. The agreement between Italians and Somalis has broken. After 50 years our country is engaged in an armed conflict, moreover in an urban context.
However, after the initial bewilderment, we begin to react. A lieutenant of the Lancers, facing the CENTAURO tower, is struck by a smear, collapses, while a hail of stones spills over our soldiers. The parishes respond to the fire and also the carabinieri of TUSCANIA and the raiders of the 9 ° COL MOSCHIN (the only departments formed entirely by professional soldiers) intervene.
The action of the militiamen is well thought out, the Italian soldiers are surrounded, the streets are blocked by the barricades, the windows and the corners of the houses Aidid's men shoot on the Italian soldiers. The whole contingent is alarmed, the Command immediately calls the BRAVO Grouping: they had almost reached Balad, about twenty kilometers north of Mogadishu. Once the order is received, the vehicles reverse the march towards the Somali capital. With the utmost care, the paraphernalia of the 186 ° Regiment on VCC-1 and VM-90 jigs, protected behind the M-60A1 (without additional protections) of the ARIETE, arrive along the imperial road. Further ahead, near an intersection, is the check point PASTA.
The road is apparently deserted, at the edges of the roadway you can see the remains of the barricades and some cars on fire, in the distance you can hear the echoes of the gusts of automatic weapons. Beyond the intersection there is an obstacle, another barricade bigger than the others.
Three VCC-1 proceed at little distance from each other, at a certain point they are hit by the fire of the militia. The head vehicle is positioned at the center of the intersection and responds to the fire with the weapons on board. The Browning M2HB caliber 12,7 mm and the MG-42 / 59 in 7,62 cover the advance of others. The second transport troop follows him, while the third has landed the rifle squad to allow men to have an optimal shooting condition.
A fatal blow comes from a side street. The rocket of an RPG hits the second VCC-1 and the hollow charge pierces the armor, hitting it right over the top of the track. It is the first Italian military fallen in combat since the end of the Second World War.
Para Pasquale Baccaro dies on the spot, hit in the legs by the firing of a shot while he is shooting with his MG. Hell is inside the middle. The injured come out of the tailgate in shock from the explosion. Sergeant Major Giampiero Monti is injured in the abdomen, the Para Massimiliano Zaniolo has a mangled hand.
The militia of Aidid, galvanized by the blow, become more enterprising, but it is not a happy tactic. The men of the third VCC, already on the ground, are positioned radially to defend the wounded and facilitate the influx of incoming aid.
The sub-lieutenant Gianfranco Paglia coordinates the action, while the more advanced VCC, in the open, at the center of the road intersection, provides coverage for the soldiers who have been stationed.
The militiamen are now at 20-30 meters away, firing also with 60 mm light mortars and machine guns, placed between the walls of the pasta factory, in homes and on containers.
The reaction of the parries is vehement, the Browning of the VCC of coverage accurately hits the militia while the ground-level firing squirts with their assault rifles SCP-70 / 90 in caliber 5,56 mm and throw hand grenades.
Minutes pass, ambulances and rescuers are blocked by the intense fire of the attackers and the barricades. You have to do it yourself to get out of the situation. The hit VCC, after a few failed attempts, is put back into motion, the wounded are loaded on board and the group leaves the ambush site while the entire neighborhood is now in revolt.
You fight everywhere, along the Via Imperiale, you shoot from the cross streets, especially from the pasta factory. The Italian soldiers are surrounded, the crews of the MANGUSTA and the armored ask permission to the Command to be able to use their weapons. In fact, if 105 / 51 of the M-60 and 105 / 52 of the CENTAURO armor were activated and if the helicopters could launch the TOW missiles, the pressure on the ground troops would be lightened, and then the siege could be broken with minors risks for Italian soldiers.
However, General Loi does not feel like risking a massacre. The shots of a cannon in an urban context would almost certainly cause a massacre of innocent civilians. The authorization to open fire with heavy weapons does not arrive. Identify and neutralize the centers of fire, is the response of the Command.
Obviously this is a very dangerous job that can only be accomplished by professional soldiers. Tiratoti and posts are signaled by land and helicopters. On their VM-90 come the raiders of the Ninth, which has the task of suppressing the fire of mortars and rocket launchers, attacking them with individual and team weapons, but without the support of heavy weapons. COL MOSCHIN operators go to the assault under a shower of bullets. A house-to-house combat is developing, with SCP bursts, MP-5 blows and hand-grenades launched against the militiamen posted. The counterattack develops around the pasta factory. During the umpteenth assault the sergeant major of the attackers Stefano Paolicchi was mowed by a flurry.
A group of militiamen, meanwhile, manages to take possession of an armed VM with a Browning. A dozen get on board and flee at full speed. They are immediately identified by a MANGUSTA helicopter; the pointer frames them and asks permission to shoot. The response from the Command is negative. The imprecations resound in the intercom, now the VM slips into the labyrinth of the streets of the neighborhood. But the MANGUSTA pilot is determined not to give up his prey. Fly at low altitude by touching the roofs of the houses, knowing that the light weapons of the militia have little effectiveness against the armor of the aircraft. Shortly after he manages to locate the VM again, he tilts and acquires again the target, again the pointer asks permission to open the fire. This time the answer is affirmative, however the TOW had already started pulverizing the Gippone and all its occupants.
In the meantime a PASTA the clashes continue. TO IRON a column of means is formed, formed entirely by volunteers. Nobody pulls back! They want to go back to rescue the parra still trapped. Two VCC-1 of the Battalion Carabinieri Paratroopers TUSCANIA, one of the 186 ° Regiment and a CENTAURUS armored go on the attack. At full speed they burst into a road that leads to the Via Imperiale. Some obstacles are before them. The media break them down without much difficulty and open fire on the militia.
The sub-lieutenant Andrea Millevoi is the chief crew of the CENTAURO blind, coordinates the action, protrudes the bust out of the tower - in the tradition of Italian tankers - to better control the situation. He is hit by a burst and dies instantly.
Almost in the same instant, behind him, three shots of AK-47 seriously wound his FOLGORE parigrado, Gianfranco Paglia, in action on a VCC.
The situation, however, appears better, the Italian soldiers progressively disengage. The raiders have managed to create a security framework, even if everything is still very precarious. The militias receive reinforcements and the Italian vehicles, on the orders of the Command, fall back but from some places the Somali fire is still sustained.
The M-60 crews are still inactive. Orders are clear: no artillery. But it is not easy to obey when you see your companions nailed to the ground by enemy fire. In fact, one or perhaps more wagons take up position, wield the turret, control the lift. Sparano. The target is a complex of buildings and containers that shelter a group of militiamen: from there they will no longer fire.
About 13.00, Italian soldiers leave the area and check points PASTA e IRON. Keeping them in those conditions would mean triggering a field battle with the Somalis. The budget is heavy, with three casualties and 23 injured, including some serious. But Somali militiamen suffered heavy losses, with over one hundred deaths. As proof that, although strongly limited, the action of the Italians was effective.
The fighting in Mogadishu of the 2 July constituted the most important weapon fact for the Italian Army since the end of the Second World War. From that date on, in Somalia, nothing will be as before.
(photo: web)
