Dubat

Dubat (Wadaad's Somali :,دُوب عد); Arabic:العمائم البيضاء ); ḍubbāṭ: English: White turban) was the designation given to members of the semi-regular armed bands employed by the Italian "Royal Corps of Colonial Troops" (Regio Corpo di Truppe Coloniali in Italian) in Italian Somaliland from 1924 to 1941. The word dubat was derived from a Somali phrase meaning "white turban". Dubats were local soldiers from Italian Somaliland that were employed in Italian military service after World War I. First raised in July 1924 by Colonel Camillo Bechis, they mainly served as frontier guards and light infantry, developing a reputation as effective fighters. Dubats were maintained as permanent units and were better trained and armed than the tribal banda irregulars raised as temporary auxiliaries when needed by the Italian authorities in Somalia and other colonies. Dubats were concentrated along the British Somaliland, Ethiopian and East Africa Protectorate frontiers. Camel mounted detachments (recul) were also employed for patrol work in the Ogaden region. From their establishment, Dubats wore the white futa, a traditional Somali sarong-like garment. They also wore smaller lengths of futa cloth as turbans (dub), tightly wrapped around their heads. The term dubat (literally "white turban") was derived from this headdress. During 1935–36, a khaki version of the futa and turban, including a saharianna tunic, was adopted for service wear. The Somali non-commissioned officers ranks were distinguished by coloured lanyards hanging from the neck and ending in tassels, as follows: "capo comandante" (commander) - green, "capo" (sergeant) - red, "sotto-capo" (corporal) - black. Commissioned officers of the Dubats were all Italians. They were usually seconded from the six regular Arab-Somali battalions of the Royal Corps of Colonial Troops, recruited in the territories of present-day Somalia and Yemen. Dubats were armed with either Carcano M1891 or Mannlicher M1895 rifles. They also carried curved traditional Somali daggers called billao.