| 1st, 2nd and 3rd Kagnew Battalions | |
|---|---|
 Ethiopian soldiers with the Kagnew Battalion, 7th Inf. Div. in Korea, 1953 | |
| Active | 1951–1965 |
| Country |  Ethiopia |
| Allegiance |  United Nations |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Infantry Battalion |
| Size | 6,037 soldiers in total[1] |
| Part of | US 7th Infantry Division |
| Patron | Emperor Haile Selassie I |
| Engagements | |
| Decorations | US Presidential Unit Citation |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Col. Kebbede Guebre [2] Capt Mamo Habtewold |
The Kagnew Battalions (Amharic: ቃኘው) were a number of military units from the Imperial Ethiopian Army which fought as part of United Nations Command in the Korean War (1950–53). The battalions rotated yearly, with the First Kagnew Battalion arriving at the front in 1951. The Third Kagnew Battalion which arrived in 1953, stayed through the signing of the armistice into 1954. Over the next two years more Ethiopians guarded the stalemate in Korea as part of the Fourth Kagnew Battalion and the Fifth Kagnew Company. Even though some publications indicate Ethiopians remained in Korea until 1965, in fact they remained a part of the United Nations Command until 1975.[3] Members of Kagnew Battalion were, with few exceptions, drawn from the Ethiopian Imperial Bodyguard Division.[1]
Altogether, 3,158 Ethiopians served in Kagnew Battalions during the war.[4]
- ^ a b "Ethiopia: Association to Commemorate 61st of Korean War". allAfrica. Addis Ababa. Ethiopian News Agency. 25 April 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
- ^ "Korean War Educator: Topics - National Archives Records - RIP 103". www.koreanwar-educator.org.
- ^ Abebe, Dagmawi (19 October 2019). The Emperor's Own : The History of the Ethiopian Imperial Bodyguard Battalion in the Korean War. Warwick, England. ISBN 9781912866311. OCLC 1112377558.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Varhola, Michael J. (2000). Fire and Ice: The Korean War, 1950–1953. pp. 134.