Thursday, April 30, 2009

Somaliland Scouts

The Somaliland Scouts was a Brigade in the British Army, formed after the liberation of British Somaliland from Italy in December 1941 and the dissolution of the Somaliland Camel Corps, formerly tasked with the defense of the protectorate.[1]

Originally formed as the Somali Guard Battalion, and tasked with defending the border between British and French Somaliland, it quickly rose in size and importance and became the Somali Companies in June 1942 before being renamed finally to the Somaliland Scouts in August 1943.[2]

In 1960, upon the merger of British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland and the independence of the Somali Republic, the Somaliland Scouts became the nucleus for the new Somali National Army.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somaliland_Scouts#cite_note-1