Battle of Checkpoint Pasta

Battle of Checkpoint Pasta
Part of the Somali Civil War and the UNOSOM II mission
Date2 July 1993
Location
Result Italian breakthrough from the encirclement
Belligerents
Italy
Somalia
SNA
Commanders and leaders
Bruno Loi
Ali Mahdi Muhammad
Mohamed Farrah Aidid
Strength
550 Italian troops + 400 Somali policeman Around 600 rebel Somali militiamen
Casualties and losses
3 killed
22 wounded
67 killed
187 wounded

The Battle of Checkpoint Pasta, sometimes called the Battle of the Pasta Factory, was a firefight in Mogadishu between Italian troops and Somali rebels, and is remembered for being the first all-out battle involving the Italian Army since the end of the Second World War.

The battle took place near the Italian checkpoint called "Pasta", because it was located near an abandoned Barilla pasta factory across the intersection of Imperial Street and 21 October Street, after an ambush on Italian forces was set up by Somali rebels led by General Mohamed Aidid.

The Italian units eventually broke the encirclement and withdrew.