 United Nations Task Force in Somalia | |
| Active | February 20 - April 10, 1991 |
| Type | Peacekeeping mission |
| Allegiance | United Nations
|
| Personnel | 30,000 men |
| Motto | In pace virtus (Latin: In peace virtue) |
| Commander | Major General William Francis Garrison (US Army) |
The United Nations Task Force in Somalia (UNTFIS) was a United Nations peacekeeping force sent to Somalia in early 1991 to enforce peace after reports of extreme violence in the central part of the country.
History[]
On January 1991, fighting and episodes of extreme violence in the central area of Somalia are reported by the United Nations. Considering them an increase in violence at the Somali Civil War, the UN General Assembly votes to establish a mission to enforce peace in Somalia, the United Nations Task Force in Somalia (UNTFIS).
The first contingent of UNTFIS troops lands in Mogadishu on February 20. The five thousand soldiers that compose the first wave of this task force begin preparations for the arrival of the remaining twenty-five thousand soldiers and establish a Main Operating Base. To this initial group adds a second one, formed by fifteen thousand troopers, which arrived the following week on February 26.
After two weeks of preparations, on March 12th the first observation and patrol missions began in Mogadishu. Four days later UNTFIS patrols had their first encounter with SHV-infected individuals during an incident in which a blue beret got infected. The soldier died the following day and reanimated, attacking and infecting three soldiers that got airlifted to Ramstein USAF base.
After a few more encounters with violent infected individuals, patrols inside Mogadishu city were discontinued on March 20. During the next two weeks Mogadishu slowly fell to the undead, being completely overrun by April 2. On April 6 hordes of zombies attacked the base at Mogadishu Airport but were easily repelled. UN called the mission over as preparations for an evacuation convoy began, and on the next day the remaining UNTFIS troops departed south towards the kenyan border. Three days later they reached Nairobi where a fleet of cargo aircraft was waiting to take them to Zaragoza AFB in Spain.