Bruno Loi

Bruno Loi
Born	(1941-08-23) 23 August 1941
Allegiance	Italy
Branch	File:Coat of arms of the Esercito Italiano.svg Esercito Italiano
Service years	1960–2004
Rank	File:Rank insignia of generale di corpo d'armata of the Army of Italy (1973).svg Lieutenant General
Commands	UNOSOM II
Conflicts	Battle of Checkpoint Pasta
Awards	File:ITA OMRI 2001 GC BAR.svg Knight Grand Cross, OMRI File:Ufficiale BAR.svg Officer, OMI File:Us legion of merit officer rib.png Officer, Legion of Merit

Bruno Loi (born 23 August 1941) is a retired Italian Army lieutenant general, who served as commander of the Italian forces in UNOSOM II from May to September 1993.

Career

Service in Somalia

Loi was infuriated as the result of an American operation in the Italian zone of control on 22 June 1993, since it took place without his permission. Loi was the commanding officer for the Italian forces in the Battle of Checkpoint Pasta. He later re-occupied Checkpoint Pasta after the battle, to do this he used diplomacy to persuade Somali general Mohamed Farrah Aidid to withdraw, annoying the United States, who viewed diplomacy as a waste of effort and advocated a forceful solution. The United Nations asked Italy to remove Loi from his position in July on charges of insubordination, a request which Italy denied. These incidents contributed to a considerable straining of relations between Italy and the rest of the United Nations peacekeeping force. Loi served out the rest of his term as commander, returning to Italy in September.