Battle of Jilib
| Battle of Jilib | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Ethiopian invasion of Somalia (2006–2009) | |||||||
(click to expand) | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|
ENDF TFG | ICU | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Gabre Heard Barre Adan Shire Hiiraale |
Sharif Sheik Ahmed Yusuf Hassan | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
6,000+ ENDF/TFG forces 16 ENDF tanks along with APCs, artillery, MiG fighter-bombers |
3,000 ICU fighters 60 technicals | ||||||
The Battle of Jilib took place on the last day of 2006 during the Ethiopian invasion of Somalia. It was fought when Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) troops and Transitional Federal Government (TFG) militia launched an offensive on the town of Jilib, held by the Islamic Courts Union (ICU).
Following the ICU's withdrawal from Mogadishu, they regrouped in Jilib, Middle Juba and the port city of Kismayo, Lower Jubba. The battle for the town began on 31 December 2006, when ICU forces entrenched around the town attempted defend it in order to delay the advance on Kismayo, one of the last major strongholds of the Islamic Courts. After a day of fighting the town was overrun and the ICU retreated to Kismayo.