Postby James Dahl » Mon Sep 10, 2007 4:38 pm
No amount of skill and bravery is a match for tanks and airstrikes on the battlefield, not unless you have the ability to take down tanks and helicopters and airplanes.
The Mujahideen in Afghanistan had American stinger missiles and anti-tank guns and rockets, and their mountainous terrain where they could lay devastating ambushes.
The ICU had only small arms, mounted antiaircraft guns and 120mm mortars. While it is possible to fight tanks and aircraft with these weapons, it is very difficult. Somalia's terrain also favors tanks and aircraft, with especially in the south, where it is flat.
The ICU was simply outgunned. If the ICU had massive numerical superiority they might have still won somehow, but the odds were about even.