#6 People, remember that Ethiopia kicked Somalia's ass back when they were both unitary countries, and both were equipped with Soviet equipment. Since then, Ethiopia has lost Eritrea, but remained a united country otherwise. Ethiopia also has a formal reasonably well-trained and equipped military. The rump state of Somalia has shed both Puntland, and Somaliland. The remainder of Somalia is only notable since it contains Mogadishu the former national capital. The Somali Islamists do not have a functional state, nor a trained military, all they possess are a ragtag band of khat-chewers, thugs, and Islamic fanatics. Nor do the Islamists possess a standing military's equipment like tanks or APCs, they make due with battlewagons - light trucks rigged up with boilerplate armour. The Islamists may be able to beatup on farmers and teenagers go to a movie, but against any half-competent military opponent, they comprise nothing more than live-fire practice targets that bleed and scream.
Remember that with NO armor and NO artillery support, the Rangers caught in Black Hawk Down lost 18 of their men and killed between 500 and 1800 Somalis, while trying to work their way back through block after block of heavy enemy fire with most of the city's population taking potshots at them. So light infantry in unarmored trucks inflicted between 30 and 80 enemy dead for every friendly that died.
The Ethiopians have Hind attack helicopters, MiG-21 and -23 fighter/bombers, ex-Soviet 122mm standard artillery and Grad rocket artillery, and a mix of T-55, -62, and some Chinese knockoffs of the same tank classes.
Mad Max going up against a light armoured brigade? Beat on the brigade, and give points. |
Somalia’s powerful Islamists on Monday declared holy war against Horn of Africa rival Ethiopia, which they accused of invading Somalia to help the government briefly seize a town controlled by pro-Islamist fighters. “Starting from today, we have declared jihad against Ethiopia,” Islamist leader Sheikh Sharif Ahmed told a news conference, while wearing combat fatigues and clutching an AK-47 assault rifle.