Years of service 1993 | Rank PrivateCorporal | |
 | ||
Awards Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa (SP) Award Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa (SP) Commands helds Malaysian Armed Forces, United Nations Operation in Somalia II | ||
Private/Corporal Mat Aznan Awang (died: 4 October 1993) was a Malaysian Army soldier who was served in the Malaysian Battilion (MALBATT) of the United Nations Operation in Somalia II (UNOSOM II). Mat Aznan was posthumously awarded the Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa (SP) for his actions during the Battle of Mogadishu on October 1993. He was a Royal Malay Regiment soldier and hailed from Kampung Parit Panjang, Baling, Kedah.
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Battle of Mogadishu
On October 4, 1993, Mat Aznan was involved in the rescue mission of seventy US Rangers and five members of the US Air Force who were surrounded in the Bakhara Market area of Mogadishu, Somalia.
During the rescue operation, Mat Aznan acted as a driver of a Condor Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC).
While in transit, the rescue convoy was ambushed and the armored car driven by him was shot at by anti-tank weapons from the front. This penetrated the bullet-proof window, killing him and wounding nine others.
In this incident, four Condor APC vehicles were destroyed. However, the rescue efforts of US military personnel was successfully executed by MALBATT.
Legacy
Mat Aznan Awang was posthumously honored with the Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa (SP) by the 10th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the late Tuanku Jaafar of Negeri Sembilan, on June 4, 1994. Following his death, the Malaysian Army elevated his rank to Corporal.
