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Fight at the 21 Octobre Triumphal Arch Captain Burton E. Moore, Jr., USMCR Acquisition Number: 2012.1178.5 Medium: Acrylic on Illustration Board Four Marines from 3d Battalion, 11th Marines, fight their way through Mogadishu, Somalia, as part of Operation Restore Hope, 25 February 1993. M-16A2s were the standard rifle carried by Marines; the shooter kneeling at the window was armed with an M-249 squad automatic weapon. A long and violent civil war and severe drought resulted in thousands of deaths in this Horn of Africa nation. Early UN efforts to provide humanitarian assistance failed because of armed chaos. In 1992, the U.S. led a UN-sanctioned multi-national force with the goal of creating a protected environment into which much-needed aid could be delivered. In December 1992, Marines secured one-third of Mogadishu, its primary port and airport, and major routes of entry. While the operation had a short-term positive impact and lives were saved, it was not sustainable.