Mohamed Farrah Aidid

Mohamed Farrah Hasan Garad (Somali: Maxamed Faarax Xasan Garaad, 'Caydiid Garaad' ; Arabic: محمد فرح حسن عيديد; 15 December 1934 – 2 August 1996), popularly known as General Aidid or Aideed, was a Somali military officer, diplomat, and warlord.

Educated in both Rome and Moscow, he began his career during the 1950s serving as a police chief in the Italian ruled United Nations trusteeship security forces. Following Somalia's independence in 1960, Aidid became an officer in the Somali National Army. He eventually rose to the rank of Brigadier general and commanded military forces during the 1977–78 Ogaden War and the 1982–83 Border War. From 1984 to 1989, he was the ambassador to India for the Somali Democratic Republic.

In 1989, as the Somali Rebellion against President Siad Barre was escalating, Aidid became a major leader within the rebel United Somali Congress (USC), and soon after the rebel faction coalition the Somali National Alliance (SNA). Along with other armed opposition groups in early 1991, he succeeded in toppling President Barre's 22 year old regime, leading to the full outbreak of the civil war. Aidid possessed aspirations for presidency of the new Somali government, and sought alliances and unions with other politico-military organizations in order to form a national government.

Following the 5 June 1993 clash that resulted in the death of dozens of UNOSOM II troops, the SNA—and by extension, Aidid—were blamed, causing him to become one of the first wanted men of the United Nations. After the US-led 12 July 1993 Bloody Monday raid, which resulted in the death of many eminent members of his Habr Gidr clan, Aidid began deliberately targeting American troops for the first time. President Bill Clinton responded by implementing Operation Gothic Serpent, and deploying Delta Force and Task Force Ranger to capture him. The high American casualty rate of the ensuing Battle of Mogadishu on 3–4 October 1993, led UNOSOM to cease its four month long mission. In December 1993, the U.S. Army flew Aidid to Addis Ababa to engage in peace talks.

During a battle in Mogadishu between his militia and the forces of his former ally Osman Ali Atto, Aidid was fatally wounded by a sniper and later died on 2 August 1996.