Saladin Restoration Falcon Squadron RTR

OPERATION TANGHAM – SOMALIA

Captain Will Baker – Military Assistant to the Head of Mission Support – UK Mission Support Team

Op TANGHAM is the British Army’s presence in Somalia in support of the Federal Government of Somalia’s (FGS) fight against Al Shabaab (A-S). A small number of sub-missions are currently deployed in advisory or training roles in two locations.

In Baidoa, 60th Brigade of the Somali National Army (SNA) are trained by the SNA Training and Advisory Team (STAT) in basic soldiering and planning. In the capital, Mogadishu, UK and UN personnel are working alongside international partners to facilitate support to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

The AMISOM Mission Support Team (MST) is a small team of UK officers tasked with providing advice and guidance to the AMISOM Force HQ. The 3* Headquarters commands a force of over 19,000 soldiers from Kenya, Ethiopia, Burundi, Djibouti and Uganda. Each Officer is a subject matter expert in Surveillance, Logistics, Intelligence or Engineering. Within the team, I was employed as the Military Assistant to the Head of Mission Support, Maj Gen Fidza Dludlu of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) who was a graduate of RMA Sandhurst. Gen Fidza is a critical cog in the smooth running of Mission Support to AMISOM having been deployed there for over six years. As his MA, I facilitated support to all departments, working alongside the United Nations to coordinate support to troops on the ground.

Al Shabaab (A-S) have been active across the country in some form for almost 15 years. They control large swathes of territory across rural Somalia and have significant sources of income through taxation and organised crime. Operating as an insurgency/criminal organisation, A-S conduct regular Indirect fire, grenade and probing attacks on SNA and AMISOM bases, whilst operating covertly in urban areas to undermine security forces and spread fear. AMISOM deployed initially to clear Mogadishu and establish a permanent presence in Somalia. With the current mandate soon to end, attention has turned towards the handover to Somali’s and AMISOM extraction. Throughout my deployment, the transition of responsibility has coincided with a drawnout national election. Somalia is ranked as one of the most corrupt nations in the world, and so with a presidential election comes an opportunity for extreme corruption. On multiple occasions, the political impasse has led to an escalation in clan violence, assassinations, and attacks on international partners in Mogadishu.

Living and working within the heavily fortified Aden Adde International Airport, has meant exposure to several foreign militaries and cultures. Most African Union staff officers are multi-lingual, able to communicate in English, Swahili, French, Amharic and Somali. With each troop contributing country responsible for their own sector, communication can often be difficult, with procedures varying across the AO. It is the role of Force HQ and the UK MST to try to maintain coherence. Whilst the current mission in Somalia is not exactly geared towards Main Battle Tanks, I occasionally came across the odd piece of armour on my travels. Tanks are used in isolation as mobile bunkers rather than in support of infantry. Nonetheless, a solitary T-54/55 is generally a enough of a deterrent for A-S to take their business elsewhere. It has been a fascinating tour, working in a role that exposed me to high profile decisions and political insight and I will certainly value my experiences in Somalia. The next 18 months will be critical for the country; a new President, a new military laydown and possibly a complete extraction of AMISOM leaving the Somali’s to take the fight to A-S on their own.

The author with part of the team.