Somali National Army

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The Somali National Army (Somali: Ciidanka Xooga Dalka Soomaaliyeed, lit. 'Somali Ground Forces') are the ground forces component of the Somali Armed Forces. Established in 1960 following the independence of the Somali Republic, the Somali National Army began as a small force of roughly 2,000 troops. It steadily grew over the course of the 1960s in response to the military threat from the Ethiopian Empire and had its first major conflict during the 1964 Ethiopian–Somali War. In the years following the SNA rapidly expanded its capacity to become one of Africa's most powerful military forces, with the assistance of the Soviet Union. During the 1969 coup d'état SNA officers seized power and the army became increasingly involved in domestic politics. The following decade was the height of the SNA, and in 1977 it carried out the Ogaden War in support of the Western Somali Liberation Front against Ethiopia. The war eventually resulted in defeat for the SNA/WSLF coalition after a massive joint...

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