KUALA LUMPUR: The events in the Battle of Mogadishu involving the Malaysian military under the United Nations (UN) in Somalia will be chronicled in a new epic action movie titled Bakara.
It is based on the actual UN operational mission of Malbatt 1 (Malaysian Battalion 1), where 51 officers and 113 troopers of other ranks from the mechanised 19th Malay Regiment Corps had to engage in combat in a rescue mission to save and extract trapped US troopers, as well as to ferry out their dead personnel in Mogadishu's hostile Bakara Market in 1993.
The incident began after two US strike force helicopters were shot down by militia loyal to Somali warlord General Mohamed Farrah Aidid.
Lasting more than seven hours, the dangerous rescue mission was carried out together with US Rangers, US Delta Force commandos and Pakistani forces on the orders of UN Operations in Somalia (Unosom II).
Although the operation saw the rescue of 70 trapped US personnel, there were many casualties as well.
Malaysian Armoured Personnel Carrier vehicle driver Corporal Mat Aznan Awang was killed while nine other Malaysian mechanised troopers were among the injured.
The new movie, directed by Adrian Teh of Paskal The Movie and Wira fame, will focus on the bravery and determination of the Malaysian military who had to contend with the hostile militia numbering in the thousands that surrounded the market area.
In 2001, the Battle of Mogadishu was chronicled by director Ridley Scott in Black Hawk Down, a Hollywood production that only glorified the daring exploits of the US troops.
Actor Zahiril Adzim, who stars in the upcoming movie as Lieutenant Dahari, believes that Bakara is a good way to create awareness about the historical incident and the bravery of Malaysian troops especially amongst Malaysians themselves.
"In the Black Hawk Down movie, the US military only references asking for help from the 'Malay Army' once, just that.
"But we understand that the movie was made for them," he said in a news report today.
Zahiril added: "The trapped US soldiers had already given up, with no ammunition left, they were akin to just waiting to die since there was no hope of getting out.
"But suddenly the military wearing blue helmets arrived. We know that they are the UN personnel from the peacekeeping force.
"At the time, the UN had personnel from Pakistan and Malaysia. However, the Pakistani military diverted halfway while the Malaysian military entered.
"In the end, the US soldiers were saved by the gallant Malbatt 1 personnel. They succeeded in bringing the US soldier out of that area.
"That's how great our Malaysian military is. To them, orders were orders and they carried out their duties despite it being a very high risk and life-threatening situation," said Zahiril who is currently filming Bakara in Adana, Turkiye.
The new film, produced by Act 2 Pictures, also stars an ensemble cast that includes Hairul Azreen, Bront Palarae, Shaheizy Sam, Nafiez Zaidi and Fauzi Nawawi.