Mohammed Farah Aidid

Mohammed Farah Aidid, who died in 1996, came to international prominence  after the collapse of President Siad Barre's military regime. Aidid was the target of an ill-fated U.S. military operation in 1995 which tried to capture him in the Somali capital city, Mogadishu. This battle was the basis of Mark Bowden's book, Black Hawk Down.