Battle of Mogadishu (2010–2011)
The Battle of Mogadishu (2010–11) began on 23 August 2010 when al-Shabaab insurgents began attacking government and African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) positions in the Somali capital of Mogadishu. Al-Shabaab began its offensive after its spokesman said the group was declaring a "massive war" on troops sent by AMISOM, describing its 6,000 peacekeepers as "invaders". In December 2010 the number of AMISOM troops was increased to 8,000 and later to 9,000. The battle's name usually includes the years, when referenced, in order to distinguish it amongst the nine major Battles of Mogadishu during the decades long Somali Civil War.
Battle of Mogadishu (2010–11) | |||||||
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Part of Somali Civil War (2009–present) | |||||||
Mogadishu prior to the battle | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Harakat al-Shabaab Mujahideen al-Qaeda |
Republic of Somalia United States European Union | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Ibrahim "al-Afghani" Moktar Ali Zubeyr Mukhtar Robow Hussein Ali Fidow Ali Mohamed Hussein Sheikh Ali Dhere Omar Shafik Hammami Hassan Dahir Aweys Mohamed Hayle Fuad Mohamed Qalaf Rajah Abu Khalid Fazul Abdullah † |
Sharif Ahmed Abdihakim Mohamoud Haji-Faqi Hussein Arab Isse Abdikarim Yusuf Adam Omar Sheikh Muhammad Farah Omar Mo'allim Nur Fredrick Mugisha Nathan Mugisha Paul Lokech Mikael Ondoga Cyprien Hakiza | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
Al-Shabaab: 5,000 – 14,426 |
TFG: 5,000 AMISOM: 9,300+ ASWJ: 2,000+ | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
1,000–1,300 killed 2,000 wounded |
Total: 641+ KIA
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2,318+ civilians killed – 6,024+ wounded (January – November 2010) | |||||||
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