Mat Aznan Awang

Corporal Mat Aznan bin Awang (28 December 1960 – 4 October 1993) was a Malaysian Army soldier who served in the Malaysia Battalion (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 in October 1993. He was a Royal Malay Regiment soldier and hailed from Kampung Parit Panjang, Baling, Kedah.

In this Malay name, there is no surname or family name. The name Awang is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by their given name, Mat Aznan. The word "bin" or "binti"/"binte" means 'son of' or 'daughter of', respectively.

Mat Aznan Awang SP BKK
Born	(1960-12-28)28 December 1960 Kampung Parit Panjang, Baling, Kedah, Federation of Malaya
Died	4 October 1993(1993-10-04) (aged 32) Mogadishu, Somalia
Allegiance	Malaysia
Service / branch	Malaysian Armed Forces  Malaysian Army
Years of service	1980–1993
Rank	Lance Corporal Corporal (posthumous)
Unit	19th Battalion Royal Malay Regiment
Commands	Malaysian Battilion (MALBATT) United Nations Operation in Somalia II (UNOSOM II)
Battles / wars	Communist insurgency in Malaysia (1968–89) Battle of Mogadishu (1993) †
Awards	Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa (SP)

Battle of Mogadishu

On 4 October 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 Bakaara 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 armoured 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.

Honours

Mat Aznan Awang was awarded the Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa (SP) from the 10th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Almarhum Tuanku Jaafar of Negeri Sembilan on 4 June 1994.^[1] He was posthumously promoted to Corporal by the Malaysian Army.

•  Malaysia :
  • Recipient of the Grand Knight of Valour (SP) (1994)^[1]
•  Kedah :
  • Bronze star of State of Kedah Star of Valour (BKK) (1994)^[2]

Legacy

One of Mat Aznan's daughters continues the legacy by serving in the same battalion.^[3]