But Somalia was military defeated by Cuba and Russia in 1978.
Many somali authors like:Jama Mohamed Ghalib and Hussein Ali Dualeh say Somalia was military defeated in 1978.
"Search for a new Somali identity"
Hussein Dualeh
Here, is a good example of History repeating itself, that when the Somali forces over-run Ethiopia in 1977, knocking at the gates of Dire Dawa and Addis Ababa, it was the Cuban, East German and Russian forces that came to the rescue of Ethiopia
Look at these sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogaden_War
The expected Ethiopian-Cuban attack occurred in early February; however, it was accompanied by a second attack that the Somalis did not expect. A column of Ethiopian and Cuban troops crossed northeast into the highlands between Jijiga and the border with Somalia, bypassing the SNA-WSLF force defending the Marda Pass. The attackers were thus able to assault from two directions in a "pincer" action, allowing the re-capture of Jijiga in only two days while killing 3,000 defenders. The Somali defense collapsed and every major Ethiopian town was recaptured in the following weeks. Recognizing that his position was untenable, Siad Barre ordered the SNA to retreat back into Somalia on 9 March 1978, although Rene LaFort claims that the Somalis, having foreseen the inevitable, had already withdrawn its heavy weapons.The last significant Somali unit left Ethiopia on 15 March 1978, marking the end of the war.
Effects of the war
Following the withdrawal of the SNA, the WSLF continued their insurgency. By May 1980, the rebels, with the assistance of a small number of SNA soldiers who continued to help the guerilla war, controlled a substantial region of the Ogaden. However by 1981 the insurgents were reduced to sporadic hit-and-run attacks and were finally defeated
http://www.acig.info/CMS/index.php?opti ... &Itemid=47
The Somalis fought bravely, but they had little armour on their own, no air cover and dwindling stocks of ammunition. "They were sitting ducks. They didn't have a chance", explained one military expert close to the Ethiopian high command in Mogadishu to foreing media.
After learning about the rout at Jijiga, Barre immediately announced that all Somali troops would be withdrawn from Ethiopia. It was too late: suffering catastrophic losses, the remaining Somali units dropped their weapons, fleeing north-east in complete disarray, pursued by Cuban tanks which drove through Jijiga and continued eastwards at a high pace. Behind them two Ethiopian divisions immediately started mopping-up operations, re-occupying Ogaden within the following week, and concluding their operations in the Jijiga area by 14 March.
