Bill Clinton: “Somalia March 1, 1995 Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:) On February 27, 1995, at approximately 3:00 p.m. e.s.t.…”

“Somalia March 1, 1995 Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:) On February 27, 1995, at approximately 3:00 p.m. e.s.t., 1,800 combat-equipped U.S. Armed Forces personnel began deployment into Mogadishu, Somalia, to assist in the withdrawal of U.N. forces assigned to the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM II). The U.S. forces were accompanied by approximately 500 Italian marines. A total of 14,000 multinational personnel are participating in this operation. The U.S. forces include the USS Essex Amphibious Readiness Group, the USS Belleau Wood, the Special Marine Air-to-Ground Task Force, and Special Operations forces including four AC-130 gunships. The U.S. Armed Forces entered Somalia in December 1992, pursuant to United Nations Security Council Resolution 794, with the mission of establishing a secure environment for humanitarian relief operations. Upon completion of this mission in 1993, responsibility for maintaining the environment created by the U.S.-led operation was transferred to UNOSOM II. Almost all U.S. military forces were withdrawn from Somalia on March 31, 1994, and the few remaining U.S. forces were subsequently withdrawn on September 15, 1994. The U.S. forces have returned to Somalia to support the U.N. withdrawal as part of the U.S. long-standing commitment to U.N. humanitarian efforts in Somalia.…”