Peacekeeping· Somalia Intervention (Op RESTORE HOPE)
Mogadishu Airport Secured
The securing of the Mogadishu airport was one of the first objectives of the Marine landing in Operation Restore Hope, the seizure of the airfield essential to opening the flow of relief supplies and forces into the Somali capital.
Marines came ashore and moved to secure the airport, which was a crucial piece of infrastructure for the entire intervention, the gateway through which the humanitarian effort and the military buildup would be sustained. The seizure was accomplished against little organized resistance, the Marines establishing control of the airfield as a foundation for the operations to follow. Securing the airport gave the coalition the logistical hub it needed to receive aid and reinforcements and to project relief operations across southern Somalia. It was among the opening actions of the intervention, the methodical securing of the key facilities in Mogadishu that allowed the Marines to establish the secure environment the relief effort required, the practical first step of the larger humanitarian mission.
Record no. 818