Unified Task Force Unified Task Force ( UNITAF ) was an American - led , United Nations - sanctioned multinational force which operated in Somalia between 5 December 1992 – 4 May 1993 . A United States initiative ( code - named Operation Restore Hope ) , UNITAF was charged with carrying out United Nations Security Council Resolution 794 to create a protected environment for conducting humanitarian operations in the southern half of the country . After the killing of several Pakistani peacekeepers , the Security Council changed UNITAF ' s mandate issuing the Resolution 837 that establishes that UNITAF troops could use " all necessary measures " to guarantee the delivery of humanitarian aid in accordance to Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter , and is regarded as a success . Background . Faced with a humanitarian disaster in Somalia , exacerbated by a complete breakdown in civil order , the United Nations had created the UNOSOM I mission in April 1992 . However , the complete intransigence of the local faction leaders operating in Somalia and their rivalries with each other meant that UNOSOM I could not be performed . The mission never reached its mandated strength . Over the final quarter of 1992 , the situation in Somalia continued to worsen . Factions were splintering into smaller factions , and then splintered again . Agreements for food distribution with one party were worthless when the stores had to be shipped through the territory of another . Some elements were actively opposing the UNOSOM intervention . Troops were shot at , aid ships attacked and prevented from docking , cargo aircraft were fired upon and aid agencies , public and private , were subject to threats , looting and extortion . By November , General Mohamed Farrah Aidid had grown confident enough to defy the Security Council formally and demand the withdrawal of peacekeepers , as well as declaring hostile intent against any further UN deployments . In the face of mounting public pressure and frustration , UN Secretary - General Boutros Boutros - Ghali presented several options to the Security Council . Diplomatic avenues having proved largely fruitless , he recommended that a significant show of force was required to bring the armed groups to heel . Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations allows for " action by air , sea or land forces as may be necessary to maintain or restore international peace and security . " Boutros - Ghali believed the time had come for employing this clause and moving on from peacekeeping . However , Boutros - Ghali felt that such action would be difficult to apply under the mandate for UNOSOM . Moreover , he realised that solving Somalia ’ s problems would require such a large deployment that the UN Secretariat did not have the skills to command and control it . Accordingly , he recommended that a large intervention force be constituted under the command of member states but authorised by the Security Council to carry out operations in Somalia . The goal of this deployment was " to prepare the way for a return to peacekeeping and post - conflict peace - building " . Following this recommendation , on 3 December 1992 the Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 794 , authorizing the use of " all necessary means to establish as soon as possible a secure environment for humanitarian relief operations in Somalia " . The Security Council urged the Secretary - General and member states to make arrangements for " the unified command and control " of the military forces that would be involved . U . S . involvement . Prior to Resolution 794 , the United States had approached the UN and offered a significant troop contribution to Somalia , with the caveat that these personnel would not be commanded by the UN . Resolution 794 did not specifically identify the U . S . as being responsible for the future task force , but mentioned " the offer by a Member State described in the Secretary - General ' s letter to the Council of 29 November 1992 ( S / 24868 ) concerning the establishment of an operation to create such a secure environment " . Resolution 794 was unanimously adopted by the United Nations Security Council on 3 December 1992 , and they welcomed the United States offer to help create a secure environment for humanitarian efforts in Somalia . President George H . W . Bush responded to this by initiating Operation Restore Hope on 4 December 1992 , under which the United States would assume command in accordance with Resolution 794 . CIA Paramilitary Officer Larry Freedman from their Special Activities Division became the first US casualty of the conflict in Somalia when his vehicle struck an anti - tank mine . He had been inserted prior to the US invasion on a special reconnaissance mission , serving as a liason between the U . S . Embassy and the arriving military forces while providing intelligence for both . Freedman was a former Army Delta Force operator and Special Forces soldier and had served in every conflict that America was involved in both officially and unofficially since Vietnam . Freedman was awarded the Intelligence Star for " extraordinary heroism " . The first Marines of UNITAF landed on the beaches of Somalia on 9 December 1992 amid a media circus . The press " seemed to know the exact time and place of the Marines ' arrival " and waited on the airport runway and beaches to capture the moment . Critics of US involvement argued that the US government was intervening so as to gain control of oil concessions for American companies , with a survey of Northeast Africa by the World Bank and UN ranking Somalia second only to Sudan as the top prospective producer . However , no US and UN troops were deployed in proximity to the major oil exploration areas in the northeastern part of the country or the autonomous Somaliland region in the northwest . The intervention happened twenty - two months after the fall of Barre ' s regime . Other critics explain the intervention as the administration ' s way to maintain the size and expenditures of the post - Cold War military establishment , to deflect criticism for the president ' s failure to act in Bosnia , or to leave office on a high note . Composition of UNITAF . The vast bulk of UNITAF ' s total personnel strength was provided by the United States ( Some 25 , 000 out of a total of 37 , 000 personnel ) . Other countries that contributed to UNITAF were Australia , Bangladesh , Belgium , Botswana , Canada , Egypt , France , Germany , Greece , India , Republic of Ireland , Italy , Kuwait , Morocco , New Zealand , Nigeria , Norway , Pakistan , Saudi Arabia , Spain , Sweden , Tunisia , Turkey , United Arab Emirates , the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe . The national contingents were co - ordinated and overseen by U . S . Central Command , however , the relationship between CentCom and the contributing nations varied . There were a few diplomatic and command confrontations over the methods and mandates employed by some contingents . For example , the Italian contingent was accused of bribing local militias to maintain peace , whilst the French Foreign Legion troops were accused of over - vigorous use of force in disarming militiamen . The Canadian contingent of the operation was known by the Canadian operation name Operation Deliverance . Following the Somalia Affair probe , the Canadian Airborne Regiment was disbanded . Operation . The operation began on 6 December 1992 , when U . S . Navy SEALs and Special Boat crewmen from Naval Special Warfare Task Unit TRIPOLI began conducting reconnaissance operations in the vicinity of the airport and harbor . These operations lasted three days . In the early hours of 8 December 1992 elements of the Army ' s 4th Psychological Operations Group ( Airborne ) attached to the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit ( MEU ) conducted leaflet drops over the capital city of Mogadishu . Early on 9 December , the MEU performed an unopposed amphibious assault into the city of Mogadishu from , and . The MEU ' s ground combat element , 2nd Battalion 9th Marines ( 2 / 9 ) , performed simultaneous raids on the Port of Mogadishu and Mogadishu International Airport , establishing a foothold for additional incoming troops . Echo and Golf Company assaulted the airport by helicopter and Amphibious Assault Vehicles , while Fox Company secured the port with an economy of force rubber boat raid . The 1st Marine Division ' s Air Contingency Battalion ( ACB ) , 1st Battalion , 7th Marines , arrived soon after the airport was secured . Elements of BLT 3 / 9 India Co , 3rd Battalion 9th Marines and 1 / 7 went on to secure the airport in Baidoa , the port city of Kismayo , and the city of Bardera . Air support was provided by the combined helicopter units of HMLA - 267 , HMH - 361 , HMM - 164 and HC - 11 DET . 10 . Concurrently , various Somali factions returned to the negotiating table in an attempt to end the civil war . This effort was known as the Conference on National Reconciliation in Somalia and it resulted in the Addis Ababa Agreement signed on 27 March 1993 . The conference , however , had little result as the civil war continued afterwards . Results . As UNITAF ' s mandate was to protect the delivery of food and other humanitarian aid , the operation was regarded as a success . United Nations Secretary - General Boutros Boutros - Ghali determined that the presence of UNITAF troops had a " positive impact on the security situation in Somalia and on the effective delivery of humanitarian assistance . " An estimated 100 , 000 lives were saved as a result of outside assistance . One day prior to the signing of the Addis Ababa Agreement , the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 814 , which marked the transfer of power from UNITAF to UNOSOM II , a United Nations led force . The major change in policy that the transition from UNITAF to UNOSOM II entailed is that the new mandate included the responsibility of nation - building on the multinational force . On 3 May 1993 , UNOSOM II officially assumed command , and on 4 May 1993 it assumed responsibility for the operations . Operation Continue Hope provided support of UNOSOM II to establish a secure environment for humanitarian relief operations by providing personnel , logistical , communications , intelligence support , a quick reaction force , and other elements as required . Over 60 Army aircraft and approximately 1 , 000 aviation personnel operated in Somalia from 1992 to 1994 . UNITAF transition . UNITAF was only intended as a transitional body . Once a secure environment had been restored , the suspended UNOSOM mission would be revived , albeit in a much more robust form . On 3 March 1993 , the Secretary - General submitted to the Security Council his recommendations for effecting the transition from UNITAF to UNOSOM II . He noted that despite the size of the UNITAF mission , a secure environment was not yet established and there was still no effective functioning government or local security / police force . The Secretary - General concluded therefore , that , should the Security Council determine that the time had come for the transition from UNITAF to UNOSOM II , the latter should be endowed with enforcement powers under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter to establish a secure environment throughout Somalia . UNOSOM II would therefore seek to complete the task begun by UNITAF for the restoration of peace and stability in Somalia . The new mandate would also empower UNOSOM II to assist the Somali people in rebuilding their economic , political and social life , through achieving national reconciliation so as to recreate a democratic Somali State . UNOSOM II was established by the Security Council in Resolution 814 on 26 March 1993 and formally took over operations in Somalia when UNITAF was dissolved on 4 May 1993 .