CORRIERE DELLA SERA (in Italian) pg. 9 — [Article by Enrico Negretti: “Thunderbolt [Folgore] Regiment Accuses the Marines”]

One of our parachute troopers is wounded during the Mogadishu incident caused by the Americans intervention outside their zone.

The U.S. soldiers who are hunting for Aideed “cross over” into the sector entrusted to the control of the Italians. General Loi protests to the UN command. Defense Minister Fabbri requests an explanation.

Mogadishu — An incredible and terribly embarrassing “incident”-one that is destined to have consequences occurred yesterday afternoon between Italian and American soldiers in the Somali capital’s northern sector, which has been placed under the control of the “Thunderbolt” regiment.

Without even deeming it necessary to notify our command. about 100 U.S. soldiers carried out an operation whose objective was probably to capture the “war lord” Mohamed Farah Aidid.

An Italian soldier from Leghorn–Leandro Partenza, 21, of the 186th “Thunderbolt” Parachute Regiment based in Siena–was standing beside a tank when he was struck on the helmet and rendered unconscious–but not wounded–by an American tear-gas bomb that was launched from a helicopter, picked up by a demonstrator, and thrown again toward the soldiers. The CAT scan that was immediately performed on Partenza at the Swedish hospital served to eliminate the possibility of internal injuries. Partenza will, in fact, leave the hospital today and rejoin his unit.

The commander of “Operation Ibis,” General Bruno Loi, lodged a strong protest concerning the incident–initially by telephone and then by letter–with the UNOSOM [United Nations Operations in Somalia] military commander.

The incident took place yesterday afternoon on the road that passes through Balad in the zone of “Check Point Pasta”, so named because of its proximity to a pasta factory. The same area of north Mogadishu–which is under Italian control–is also the location of the meat market. The American operation was launched at 1515 hours local time (1415 in Italy).

The troops of the U.S. “Special Force”–coming from the helicopter-carrier Wasp and the three landing craft from the Gulf that have been cruising off Mogadishu for several days–arrived aboard five large Chinook troop transport helicopters and two Cobra combat helicopters. Five Humvee vehicles were landed from the Chinooks. The troops jumped down, surrounded the market, blocked traffic, and, according to eyewitnesses, began to search pedestrians and some residences.

The 30 Italians manning the check point notified the headquarters of their contingent of what was happening and requested reinforcements because an enraged crowd had suddenly turned against the U.S. soldiers, hurling rocks and shouting anti-U.S. slogans. The Italians intervened in an effort to restrain the reaction of the crowd. In an attempt to extricate themselves, the Americans launched a number of tear gas bombs, one of which struck the Italian soldier.

A little more than one hour after they arrived, the U.S. troops climbed back aboard the helicopters and departed. The Italians–who had received reinforcements from the nearby detachments and from headquarters in their turn became a target for volleys of rocks.

After exhausting negotiations with the district notables and elders, the Italian officers were able finally to calm things down, and after 1900 hours the crowd began to thin out. The clan chieftains in the Italian sector requested an audience with the commander of our contingent, General Bruno Loi.

The “war” between the Blue Helmets of the Thunderbolt regiment and the Americans is destined to have consequences. Gen. Loi did not accept the fait accompli; he took pen in hand and sent a stern note of protest-the first protest in writing to the military commander of UNOSOM, the Turkish General Cevik Bir. “I sent my protest in writing to Gen. Bir,” the Thunderbolt commander told us yesterday evening:

“Over the telephone, Bir had initially defended the American operation, and it was only after I repeated my request four times that he gave the order for the U.S. troops to withdraw. The incident is a serious matter, and my freedom to act in the sector under my jurisdiction in the manner I deem most appropriate has been challenged….I have informed the General Staff.”

In Rome, Defense Minister Fabbri spoke in harsh tones:

“An explanation concerning the entire operation is in order because we need to know how it is possible to justify this intervention by the Americans in a sector that is controlled very efficiently by our paratroopers. Better coordination is obviously necessary.”

Gen. Loi also pointed out that Italy has for a long time asked to be involved in the planning phase of the operations. He believes that in the light of this incident it is essential that this decision no longer be postponed.

Tension, therefore, remains high, while General Aidid–the “number one” fugitive–is still at large. There are even rumors of meetings–probably in an effort to reach a political solution to the crisis–between the special United Nations representative in Mogadishu, Jonathan Howe, and unidentified “emissaries” of Aidid.

_{FBIS-WEU-93-126-A, 2 July 1993, pp. 15-16}