[8][9] Emperor Selassie enlisted the help of the United States and Israel to suppress Somalis fighting for the Ogaden regions independence.

[12] The early 1970s saw the Ogaden liberation movement continue to gain momentum off the foundations of Nasrallah,[9] though the original organization had gradually started to disintegrate.

In light of this, veteran insurgents and young intelligentsia from the Ogaden region within Siad Barre's government lobbied for Somalia to support the resumption of the armed struggle.

A twenty-five member committee was elected to lead the WSLF, and Abdullahi Hassan Mahmoud became its first leader when the organization was formerly founded at the conference.

[22] According to WSLF accounts, a large number of the fronts younger guerrillas were Harari "boys and girls", which was named the Imam Ahmed squad after the sixteenth century Muslim leader Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi.

The terrain, comprising partly arid scrubland and mountainous and wooded areas, was familiar to the fighters, and the local inhabitants were considered friendly.

[30] During early 1977, with the exception of towns strategically positioned on vital routes and intersections, the WSLF effectively controlled most of the Ogaden lowlands.

The rebels employed hit-and-run tactics, targeting the Ethiopian army at its vulnerable points and then blending into a predominantly supportive or sympathetic local population.

On February 11, 1977, a notable ambush occurred near Horakelifo (between Degehabur and Jijiga), resulting in the death of 25 soldiers and officers, with another 24 wounded, and the destruction of armored cars and trucks.

In the summer of 1977, WSLF fighters destroyed several important installations, and on June 1, they detonated the railway connecting the Ethiopian capital to the port of Djibouti.

In order to protect the Djibouti-Addis railway the Derg deployed thousands of paratroopers on the vital rail lines connecting Ethiopia to the sea.

Siad Barre decided to intensify the war by involving the Somali army as he believed it would allow the WSLF to press home their growing victories and enable the complete secession of the Ogaden.

Under the command of SNA officers, the WSLF engaged in attacks on Ethiopian military positions, pounding Gode, Degehabur and Kebri Dahar with mortars and rockets.

[33] The 2nd Brigade, Ahmed Gurey was the main strength of the WSLF during the war, they captured Jigjiga after 4 weeks of heavy fighting with the Ethiopia army.

[35] Former Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed said "the WSLF brigades were very strong and united against all odds" during his interview with former BBC World Service report Abdisalan Harari.

However, in early 1978 the Ethiopian government acquired a new arsenal of Soviet equipment and, spearheaded by Cuban combat troops, managed to push back the SNA/WSLF forces.

[33] According to British journalist and military historian Mark Urban, "Under the leadership of Hassan Mahmoud, the WSLF had waged a spectacular campaign, but unlike the Eritreans, they failed to grasp the importance of publicizing their struggle abroad."

[34] During a conference on 11 March 1978, WSLF head Abdullahi Mahmoud Hassan declared that despite the withdrawal of the Somali army forces deployed to support it, the front would continue its liberation struggle.

[37] During June 1978, the WSLF had a major success when it reclaimed the town of Gode, killing 300 Ethiopian and Cuban troops while disabling the only viable air base in the area.

By the end of the 70s, the WSLF was estimated to have an army of 18,000 men, thus becoming the second largest rebel group in Ethiopia, the first being the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF).

[34] As the WSLF faced large scale Ethiopian and Cuban army assaults following the war, they were left with only small arms and mortars to combat helicopter gunships and armored vehicles operating in open terrain.

[35] In the early 1980s, the Ethiopian government transformed the Ogaden into a vast military zone, carrying out indiscriminate aerial bombardments and forced resettlement programs.

After stationing troops around the border of Somalia to block suspected entry and exit points, the Ethiopian forces moved in, dispersing, encircling and liquidating the rebels.

From 1982 to 1984, the Somali National Movement (SNM) with support from the Ethiopian army, engaged in intense clashes with the WSLF in north western Somalia.