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| executed_by = * United States Marine Corps * United States Navy | outcome = Successful evacuation of 281 diplomats and civilians from 30 countries | casualties = 0 }} Operation Eastern Exit was the codename given to the military evacuation of the United States embassy in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, in January 1991. In late December 1990, violence quickly enveloped the city as armed militants began clashing with government soldiers. On 1 January 1991, the US Ambassador to Somalia, James K. Bishop, contacted the Department of State requesting an evacuation of the embassy, which was approved the following day. United States Central Command began planning and mobilizing forces that evening. The initial plan was to evacuate with a military transport plane through the Mogadishu International Airport, but this was later abandoned. A helicopter evacuation via the USS ''Guam'' and USS ''Trenton'' was the remaining option. On the morning of 5 January, a 60-person Marine and Navy SEAL security detail was dispatched from the ''Guam'' aboard two CH-53E ''Super Stallion'' to secure the embassy and prepare for the main evacuation. The two helicopters returned to the ''Guam'' with the first 61 evacuees. Throughout the day, foreign diplomats and civilians sought refuge at the embassy. Four waves of five CH-46 "Sea Knight" helicopters each evacuated the embassy compound shortly after midnight on 6 January. The evacuees were transported to Muscat, Oman, where they disembarked on 11 January. In total, 281 diplomats and civilians from 30 countries were evacuated, including 12 heads of missions (eight ambassadors and four chargés d'affaires). == Background == In the late 1980s, there was increasing rebellion against the rule of Somali President Siad Barre, a military dictator〔〔〔 who maintained tight control of power and had a record of human rights abuses.〔 By 1990, what began as civil disobedience evolved into a civil war, with several militias organized to overthrow the central government.〔〔〔〔 In July 1989, the embassy moved to a new, compound, from the previous embassy and James K. Bishop was appointed as the United States' ambassador to Somalia.〔〔 Ambassador Bishop had significant experience in crisis management at US embassies. In 1967, he was at the US Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon when the Six-Day War erupted. About 3,600 Americans were evacuated in 33 hours; Bishop was one of 26 diplomats and soldiers that remained in the city. As deputy assistant secretary of state for Africa from 1981–87, Bishop chaired several task forces for crises and gained experience in the State Department's operations center as evacuations were carried out during several coups d'etat. During his previous assignment as Ambassador to Liberia (1987–90), Bishop was overseeing the voluntary evacuation of embassy staff and civilians as a civil war in Liberia spread, when he left in March 1990. Soon after returning to Washington to prepare for his new appointment to Somalia, he was appointed to a taskforce to deal with the crisis in Liberia, which included a gradual evacuation of American civilians and a rapid closure of the embassy in August.〔〔 On 1 August, before leaving the US to take up his post in Mogadishu, Ambassador Bishop visited United States Central Command—the military command for the Middle East and northeast Africa—where he spent most of the day with its commander, Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf.〔 Ambassador Bishop, aware of the ongoing strife, believed "the odds were better than even that we would have to leave Mogadishu under less than favorable circumstances."〔 Ambassador Bishop understood from his past experiences in Beirut and Liberia the importance of being prepared to deal with emergencies and spent the afternoon working with military experts to review the embassy's Emergencies and Evacuation (E&E) plan until he was "satisfied...that (Command ) realized that it might have to conduct an evacuation from Mogadishu and was prepared to do that."〔 In its analysis of Operation Eastern Exit, the Center for Naval Analyses cited the Ambassador Bishop's previous experience and "clear understanding of his role"〔 in the operation as one of the reasons Operation Eastern Exit went so well.〔 Hours after Ambassador Bishop's visit to Central Command, Iraq invaded Kuwait.〔 In 1979, the US negotiated access to an airport and port in both Mogadishu and Berbera; because of limited access the US had to locations in the Persian Gulf area, maintaining this access was a main interest for the Mogadishu embassy to pursue as the US mobilized to intervene in Kuwait.〔 An increasing level of criminal violence prompted Ambassador Bishop to request the voluntary evacuation of dependents (e.g. children and spouses of staff) and non-essential staff in early December, although fighting between the government and the United Somali Congress (a rebel militia) remained no less than about away.〔 The voluntary evacuation later became a mandatory evacuation. By 19 December, the number of official US personnel in the city was reduced from 147 to 37;〔 around the same time, fighting between the government and rebels came within about of Mogadishu.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Operation Eastern Exit」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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