Battle of Mogadishu
The Battle of Mogadishu (also known as the Battle of the Black Sea or Day of the Rangers by Somalis) was one of The bloodiest and most ferocious battles US forces faced against Somali guerrillas, loyal to clan chief Mohamed Farrah Aidid, on October 3, 1993 in the Black Sea district of Mogadishu in Somalia.
A group of elite US Army Delta Force Special Operations Rangers soldiers were on a mission to travel from their base to the inner city to capture Aidid's militia leaders. The assault force consisted of 19 helicopters from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, twelve vehicles and 160 men. The assault units consisted of four Ranger squads called Chalk and five Delta teams. Ranger squads descended on all four corners of the building, securing a perimeter while Delta teams assaulted the building's roof and courtyards, supported by SEAL marksmen.
Background
In January 1991, Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown by a coalition of opposing clans, precipitating the Somali civil war. The Somali National Army was disbanded at the same time, and some former soldiers reconstituted as irregular regional forces or joined clan militias. The main rebel group in the capital, Mogadishu, was the United Somali Congress (USC), which later split into two armed factions: one led by Ali Mahdi Muhammad, who became president, and another by Mohamed Farrah Aidid. In all, there were four opposition groups vying for political control: the USC, the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF), the Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM), and the Somali Democratic Movement (SDM). In June of the same year, a total ceasefire was agreed, but it was not maintained. A fifth group, the Somali National Movement (SNM), declared independence in the northwestern region of Somalia in late June. The SNM renamed this unrecognized territory Somaliland, and Abdiram Ahmed Ali Tuur was elected as its president.
Serious fighting broke out in Mogadishu in September 1991, which continued for the next few months and spread throughout the country, leaving 20,000 people dead or injured by the end of the year. These clashes led to the destruction of the country's agriculture, leading to famine in large parts of Somalia. The international community began sending food supplies to stop the famine, but large amounts of food were intercepted and sent to local clan leaders, who routinely traded it for weapons with other countries. These factors led to further famine, in which an estimated 300,000 people died and another 1.5 million suffered between 1991 and 1992. In July 1992, after a ceasefire between opposing clan factions, the The UN sent 50 military observers to certify the distribution of the food.
Operation Provide Relief began in August 1992, when US President George H.W. Bush announced that military transports would support the multinational UN relief effort in Somalia. Ten C-130 Hercules and 400 personnel were deployed to Mombasa, Kenya to help remote areas of Somalia by air and reduce reliance on truck convoys. In six months, C-130s delivered 48,000 tons of food and medical supplies to international humanitarian organizations trying to help more than three million hungry people in Somalia.
In December 1992, when operations proved inadequate to stop the mass death and displacement of the Somali people (500,000 dead and 1.5 million refugees or displaced), the United States launched a larger coalition operation to aid and protect humanitarian actions. This operation, called Restore Hope, saw the United States assume unified command in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 794 (a resolution passed by the UN Council to create a secure environment for humanitarian operations in Somalia).. The United States Marine Corps embarked the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit in Mogadishu and, with elements of the 1.er Battalion, 7th Marines and the 3rder span> Battalion, 11th Marines, secured nearly a third of the city, port, and airport facilities in two weeks, with the goal of facilitating the airlift of humanitarian supplies. Elements of the 2nd Battalion; HMLA-369 (369-Light Assault Helicopter Marine Air Group-39, 3rd Wing, Pendleton Field); the 9th Marine Regiment; and the 1.er Battalion, 7th Marines quickly secured the routes to Baidoa, Balidogle and Kismaayo, and were reinforced by the 3.er Amphibious Assault Battalion and the 10. United States Army Mountain Division.
Mission Changes
In March 1993, UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali sent his recommendations to the United Nations Security Council for the transition from UNITAF (Unified Task Force) to UNOSOM II. He indicated that following the adoption of Resolution 794 in December 1992, UNITAF's presence and operations had created a positive impact on the security situation in Somalia, and on the effective delivery of humanitarian assistance (UNITAF deployed 37,000 troops in the 40% of southern and central Somalia). There was still no effective government, police, or national army, posing a serious threat to UN personnel. To this end, the Security Council authorized UNOSOM II to establish a secure environment throughout Somalia to achieve national reconciliation with the goal of creating a democratic state.
At the Somali National Reconciliation conference, held on March 15, 1993 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the fifteen Somali parties agreed to terms to restore peace and democracy. However, by May, it became clear that although it was a signatory to the March agreement, Mohamed Farrah Aidid's faction would not cooperate with the implementation of the agreements.
Aidid began broadcasting anti-UN propaganda on Mogadishu radio after believing the UN was purposely sidelining him in an attempt to "rebuild Somalia." Lieutenant General Çevik Bird ordered the station closed, with the goal of quashing the start of what could become a rebellion. Civilian spies at UNOSOM II headquarters probably led to the discovery of the UN plan. On June 5, 1993, Aidid ordered SNA militia to attack a Pakistani force tasked with inspecting a weapons cache located at the radio station, possibly fearing it was a raid. force sent to cease transmissions. The result was 24 dead and 56 Pakistani troops, one Italian and 3 wounded American soldiers. On June 6, 1993, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 837, for the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the deaths and injuries of peacekeepers.
On June 12, US troops began attacking targets in Mogadishu in hopes of finding Aidid, a campaign that would last until June 16. A day later, General Jonathan Howe offered a US$25,000 reward for information leading to Aidid's arrest, but he was never caught, Howe also requested a rescue force after the deaths of the Pakistanis.
Attack on the safe house
On July 12, 1993, a US-led operation was launched into what was believed to be a safe house in Mogadishu where Aidid was hiding. During the operation, which lasted 17 minutes, Cobra attack helicopters fired 16 TOW missiles and thousands of 20mm cannon shells into the compound, killing 60 people. The number of Somali casualties was disputed. Aidid's interior minister, Abdi Qeybdiid, confirmed 73 dead, including women and children inside the safe house. Reports US Admiral Jonathan Howe received after the attack put the death toll at 20, all men. The International Committee of the Red Cross put the death toll at 54, however Aidid was not there.
The operation resulted in the deaths of four journalists, who were killed by angry mobs when they came to cover the incident, heralding the battle for Mogadishu.
Ranger Task Force
On August 8, 1993, the Adid militia detonated a remote-controlled bomb at a US military vehicle, killing four soldiers. Two weeks later, another bomb injured seven more. In response, US President Bill Clinton approved a proposal to deploy a special force made up of elite special forces units, including 400 United States Army Rangers. United States, and Delta Force operators.
On August 22, the unit deployed to Somalia under the command of General William F. Garrison, commander of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) at the time.
The force consisted of:
- Company B, 3.♪ Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, under the command of Captain Michael D. Steele
- Squadron C, 1.er Operational Detachment of Special Forces Delta (1st SFOD-D), under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Gary L. Harrell
- A deployment package of 16 helicopters and 160 personnel Special Operations Aviation Regime (160.o SOAR), including Black Hawk MH-60 and Little Birds AH/MH-6 helicopters
- Navy SEALs of the Special Naval War Development Group (DEVGRU)
- Air Force Pararescue Operators and Combat Controllers of the 24th Special Tactical Squad.
The Ranger Task Force captured Aidid's financier Osman Ali Atto on September 21.
Knockdown a Black Hawk
On September 25, a week before the battle, Aidid supporters shot down a 101st Airborne Division Black Hawk with an RPG, killing all three crew, near New Port in Mogadishu. It was the first time a helicopter had been shot down in Mogadishu, and the incident was a major psychological victory for the SNA.
Order of Battle
Plan
On Sunday, October 3, 1993, the Ranger Task Force comprised mostly of the 3.er Bravo Company Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, 1ster Delta Special Forces Operational Detachment (better known as Delta Force), and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Night Stalkers) attempted to capture Aidid's Foreign Minister, Omar Salad Elmi, and his main political adviser, Mohamed Hassan Awale.
The plan was for Delta operators to attack the target building (using MH-6 Little Bird helicopters) and secure the targets inside the building while four paratroop platoons (under the command of CPT Michael D. Steele) would drop to rappelling of MH-60L Black Hawk helicopters. The Rangers would create a four-cornered defense perimeter around the target building to isolate it and ensure no enemies entered or exited, while a column of nine Humvees and three M939 five-ton trucks (under the command of Lt. Col. Danny McKnight) would arrive. to the building to bring the entire assault team and the prisoners back to the base. The entire operation had been estimated to take no more than 30 minutes.
The ground extraction convoy was supposed to reach the captured targets a few minutes after the start of the operation, but they suffered delays. Somali citizens and militiamen barricaded rocks, rubble, garbage, and burning tires along the streets of Mogadishu, preventing the convoy from reaching the Rangers and captives. Aidid's militiamen used megaphones to encourage people to take to the streets to fight.
Raid
At 1:50 p.m., Ranger Task Force analysts received Salad's location from intelligence.
Soldiers, convoys of vehicles, and helicopters waited on high alert until the code word "Irene" resounded on all radio channels of the command. The keyword "Irene" she was the one who started the mission and got the helicopters airborne.
Start of the mission
At 3:42 p.m., MH-6 Little Birds assault carriers carrying Delta operators attacked the target, kicking up clouds of dust so thick they were forced to circle and land out of position. Then the two Black Hawks carrying the 2nd Delta Strike Team, led by Captain Austin "Scott" Miller, moved into position and lowered their teams, as the four Ranger paratroop platoons prepared to secure the four corners surrounding the target building. The fourth platoon of paratroopers carried by the Black Hawk identified as Super 6-7, piloted by Third Officer Jeff Niklaus, mistakenly landed one block north of the planned point. Refusing the pilot's request to lower them back to the correct location due to the time it would take to do so, they left the helicopter exposed. Fourth Platoon attempted to move to the planned position, but was prevented by heavy ground fire.
The ground convoy arrived ten minutes later near the Olympic Hotel and waited for the Delta and Rangers to finish their mission at the target building.
During the first few minutes of the operation, Pfc. Todd Blackburn of Platoon Four fell 70 feet (21 m) while rappelling from the Black Hawk Super 6-7. Blackburn injured his head and neck and requested to be evacuated in the column of three Humvees commanded by Sergeant Jeff Struecker. As Blackburn was being taken back to base, Sergeant Dominick Pilla, assigned in Struecker's humvee, was shot in the head, killing him instantly.
First helicopter shot down
At around 4:20 p.m., one of the Black Hawk helicopters, identified as Super 6-1, flown by officers Cliff "Elvis" Wolcott and Donovan Briley, was shot by an RPG. Both pilots died in the helicopter impact, and two crew chiefs were seriously injured. Sergeants Daniel Busch and Jim Smith, DELTA snipers, survived the crash and began defending the site.
An MH-6 helicopter, identified as Star 4-1, flown by Officers Karl Maier and Keith Jones, landed alongside; Jones climbed out of the helicopter to bring Busch to safety while Maier provided cover fire from the Little Bird's cockpit, refusing repeated orders to stand down while his co-pilot was not aboard the helicopter. He almost wounded Lieutenant DiTommaso of 1 Platoon as he was arriving with Rangers and DELTA operators to secure the area. Jones and Maier evacuated Busch and Smith, however the former died from injuries sustained while he was defending the crash site.
A combat search and rescue (CSAR) team led by operator DELTA, Capt. Bill J. Coultrup, and Air Force pararescuer, Master Sergeant Scott C. Fales, rappelled down to the crash site of the Super 6-1 despite an RPG hitting and his helicopter, the Super 6-8, piloted by Officer Dan Travolta, broke down and was able to return to base. The CSAR team found the pilots dead, and two more wounded inside the downed helicopter. Under heavy fire, the team moved the wounded to a nearby collection point, where they set up a makeshift shelter using Kevlar armor plates salvaged from the Super 6-1 wreckage.
There was a mix-up between the ground convoy and the assault team. Both teams waited 20 minutes for orders to move; the two units were under the mistaken impression that they had to be contacted by the other unit first.
Second helicopter shot down
While they waited, a second Black Hawk helicopter, identified as Super 6-4, flown by Officer Michael Durant, was shot down by an RPG-7 at 4:40 p.m.
Most of the assault team was heading towards the first accident site for the rescue operation. Before reaching the scene, 90 Rangers and DELTA operators came under heavy fire. Despite air cover, the assault team was trapped until night. With increasing numbers of wounded seeking shelter, they occupied several nearby houses and confined their occupants for the duration of the battle. Outside, a strong breeze raised blinding clouds of dust.
At the second impact site, two DELTA snipers, Sergeants Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart were inserted by the Black Hawk Super 6-2, piloted by Officer Mike Goffena. Their first two requests to be inserted were denied, but they finally got permission after their third request. They quickly inflicted damage on the approaching Somali mob. The Super 6-2 gave them cover fire, but was hit by an RPG. Despite the damage, the Super 6-2 managed to fly to New Port without any problems. On the ground, after Gordon was killed, Shughart collected his weapon, a CAR-15, and gave it to the pilot of the Super 6-4 , Officer Michael Durant. Shughart returned to the nose of the helicopter and held off the mob for about 10 more minutes before he was killed. The Somalis rushed to the crash site, killing all but Durant, who was nearly beaten to death, but was rescued by Aidid's militiamen, who took him prisoner. For their actions, Gordon and Shughart were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, the first awarded since the Vietnam War.
Repeated attempts by Somali forces to overrun US positions in a series of firefights near the first impact site were neutralized by aggressive small arms fire and rocket attacks from AH-6J Little Bird helicopters and of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment unit, the only unit trained and equipped for night combat.
Helicopters shot down
During the operation, two United States UH-60 helicopters were hit by RPGs and shot down, while three others sustained damage. Some of the soldiers managed to evacuate the wounded towards the base, but others were trapped in the places where the helicopters fell and were surrounded by the mob. A battle ensued in the streets of Mogadishu that lasted until the next morning, when a contingent consisting of Pakistani and Malaysian soldiers along with US soldiers intervened. For the rescue, the joint force used some 60 vehicles including Pakistani tanks, Malaysian Condor personnel carriers and AH-1 and UH-60 helicopters for air support. This joint force reached the place where the first helicopter crashed, managing to evacuate the wounded who were surrounded. The crash site of the second helicopter was razed to the ground and the sole survivor, pilot Petty Officer Michael Durant, was taken hostage and released eleven days later.
Despite achieving the goal of capturing the militia leaders, 19 US soldiers were killed in the battle, two of whom were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor (Sergeants Randy Shughart and Gary Gordon), and others were wounded 79. A Malaysian soldier was also killed and seven wounded, as were two other Pakistani soldiers. The number of Somali casualties was not clear, but an estimated 300 to 500 militants and civilians were killed and 3,000 to 4,000 wounded.
Rescue Convoy
A rescue convoy of elements of Task Force 2-14 Infantry, 10th Mountain Division, accompanied by Malaysian and Pakistani UN forces arrived at the site of the first Black Hawk downed at 0200 hours. Because no contingency plan or coordination was organized with the UN forces, the rescue of the encircled soldiers was complicated and significantly delayed. Determined to protect all members of the rescue convoy, General Garrison ensured that the convoy deployed with attack power. When the convoy finally entered the city, it consisted of more than 100 UN vehicles including Malaysian forces, German Condor APC vehicles, four Pakistani M48 tanks, American Humvees, and several M939 flatbed trucks. This two-mile long column was supported by other Black Hawks and Cobra assault helicopters stationed with the 10th Mountain Division. Meanwhile, Ranger Little Bird helicopters continued to defend the crew of the downed Super 6-1 and rescuers. The assault force suffered many casualties, including several dead.
Summary
Task Force Ranger (in Spanish Ranger Operational Force); consisted of a strike force made up of US operators from Delta Force, 75th Ranger Regiment, US Air Force Pararescue, US Air Force Combat Control Team, four SEAL's of the naval special warfare development group and air support by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, under the command of General William F. Garrison. The objective was to travel from their base on the outskirts of the city to capture the leaders of the Habar Gidir clan, led by Mohamed Farrah Aidid. The assault consisted of 19 aircraft, 12 vehicles (including nine humvees), and 160 men.
During the operation, two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters were shot down and three more were damaged by RPG-7 rocket launcher fire. Some of the injured survivors were evacuated to the base and others remained isolated near the UH-60 crash zone, with fighting continuing through the night.
The next morning a joint Task Force was dispatched to rescue the isolated soldiers. It consisted of soldiers from the Pakistani Army, the Malaysian Army and the US 10th Mountain Division. The convoy included Pakistani M48 Patton and Malaysian Thyssen Henschel-Condor tanks, supported from the air by American MH-60L Black Hawk and MH-6 Little Bird. This Task force reached where the first UH-60 fell and rescued the survivors.
The exact number of Somali casualties is unknown; It is estimated between hundreds and thousands, between militiamen and civilians there were around 3,000 to 4,000 wounded. The International Committee of the Red Cross claimed that 200 civilians were killed and hundreds more were injured. The book Black Hawk Down; a history of modern warfare puts a figure of more than 700 militants dead and more than 1000 wounded, however the Somali National Alliance in an episode of the US program Frontline recognizes only 133 deaths.
The Washington Post on its own, reported 312 militiamen dead and 814 wounded. The Pentagon initially reported the deaths of 5 US soldiers but later increased the number to 18 and 73 wounded. Two days later, Delta operator Matt Rierson was killed by a mortar attack, making him the 19th casualty. At the time, it was the bloodiest battle for US troops since the Vietnam War and up until the second battle of Fallujah in 2004.
On July 24, 1996, Aidid was wounded in a firefight against forces of Ali Mahdi Mohamed and Osman Ali Atto. Subsequently, he suffered a heart attack on August 1, during or after being treated for his wounds.The next day General Garrison announced his withdrawal.
Consequences
After the battle, the bodies of some of the fallen Americans (the crew of the Black Hawk Super 6-4 and its defenders, Delta Force soldiers, Master Sergeant Gordon and the First Class Shughart) were dragged through the streets of Mogadishu by a mob of civilians and Somali National Alliance (SNA) forces. The bodies were eventually recovered by Special Envoy for Somalia Robert B. Oakley via negotiations and threats to the leaders of the Habr Gidr clan. The corpses were in poor condition, one of them decapitated. Pilot Michael Durant was released after eleven days in captivity. On the beach near the base, a memorial was erected in remembrance of those who fell in combat.
Known losses
Pakistan
A Pakistani soldier was killed and two more were injured during the raid and rescue. Pakistani troops used tanks from the 6th and 19th Lancer Regiments for the rescue. The deceased soldier was from the 19th Lancer Regiment manning a 12.7mm turret.
Malaysia
Private Lance Mat Aznan Awang, 18, a private with the 19th Battalion, Royal Malaysian Regiment, Malaysian Army (posthumously promoted to corporal), driving a Thyssen Henschel - Malaysian Condor vehicle, was killed when his vehicle was struck by an RPG in the early hours of October 4. Corporal Mat Aznan Awang was awarded the Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa medal of valor (for gallantry and extreme courage).
Somalia
Ambassador Robert B. Oakley, the US special representative to Somalia, said: My personal estimate is that there must have been 1,500 to 2,000 Somalis killed and wounded that day, because the battle was a battle. real. And the Americans and those who went to rescue them were shot from all sides… a deliberate war battle, if you will, by the Somalis. Women and children were used as shields, and in some cases, women and children were the ones firing weapons, and they came from everywhere. Like some kind of rabbit maze, with cabins, houses, alleys and streets twisting and twisting, so those who tried to defend themselves shot in all directions. The United States and the United Nations used helicopters with heavy weapons, as well as all kinds of automatic weapons on the ground. The Somalis were generally using automatic rifles and grenade launchers and it was a very nasty fight, as intense as any battle one can find. Reliable estimates put the number of Somali insurgents killed at between 800 and 1,000, and perhaps another 4,000 wounded. Somali militants claimed the number of casualties was lower. Aidid himself claimed that only 315 civilians and militiamen were killed, and 812 wounded. In an interview for PBS, Captain Haad said that 133 SNA militiamen were killed.
United States
| Name | Age | Actions | Posthumous decoration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operators of the 1.er Special Forces Operational Detachment | |||
| MSG Gary Ivan Gordon | 33 | Dead defending the crew Super Six-Four | Medal of Honor, Purple Heart |
| SFC Randy Shughart | 35 | Dead defending the crew Super Six-Four | Medal of Honor, Purple Heart |
| SSG Daniel D. Busch | 25 | Down in the Super Six-OneDeathly wounded defending the torn crew | Silver Star, Purple Heart |
| SFC Earl Robert Fillmore, Jr. | 28 | Dead moving to the first place of the accident | Silver Star, Purple Heart |
| MSG Timothy «Griz» Lynn Martin | 38 | Death wound by an RPG in the lost convoy, died while being transported to a field hospital in Germany | Silver Star, Purple Heart. |
| SFC Matthew Loren Rierson | 33 | Killed by a mortar shell that fell near him on 6 October, 2 days after the initial incursion | Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart. |
| Soldiers of 3.♪ Rangers Battalion, 75th Rangers Regiment | |||
| CPL James "Jamie" E. Smith | 21 | Dead near the first place of the accident | Bronze Star, Purple Heart |
| SPC James M. Cavaco | 26 | Dead in the lost convoy | Bronze Star, Purple Heart |
| SGT James Casey Joyce | 24 | Dead in the lost convoy | Bronze Star, Purple Heart |
| CPL Richard "Alphabet" W. Kowalewski, Jr. | 20 | Dead on the convoy lost by an RPG | Bronze Star, Purple Heart |
| SGT Dominick M. Pilla | 21 | Dead at Struecker convoy | Bronze Star, Purple Heart |
| SGT Lorenzo M. Ruiz | 27 | Death wound in the lost convoy, died while being transported to a field hospital in Germany | Bronze Star, Purple Heart |
| Pilots and crew of 160.o Special Operations Aviation Regiment | |||
| SSG William "Wild Bill" David Cleveland, Jr. | 34 | Chief of crew in the Super Six-Four | Silver Medal, Bronze Medal, Air Medal with Value Recognition, Purple Heart |
| SSG Thomas "Tommie" J. Field | 25 | Chief of crew in the Super Six-Four | Silver Medal, Bronze Medal, Air Medal with Value Recognition, Purple Heart |
| CW4 Raymond "Ironman" Alex Frank | 45 | First Officer (copilot) Super Six-Four | Silver Medal, Air Medal with Value Recognition, Purple Heart |
| CW3 Clifton "Elvis" P. Wolcott | 36 | Pilot Super Six-One, dead in the accident | Distinguished Flight Cross, Bronze Medal, Air Medal with Value Recognition, Purple Heart |
| CW3 Donovan "Bull" Lee Briley | 33 | Copilot Super Six-One, dead in the accident | ruz de Flight Distinguished, Bronze Medal, Air Medal with Value Recognition, Purple Heart |
| Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 14. Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 10.a Mountain Division | |||
| SGT Cornell Lemont Houston, Mr. 1.♪ Platoon, Company C, 41.♪Battalion of Engineers | 31 | Member of the "lost platoon." Wounded by a RPG machine while helping a severely injured Malaysian soldier in the rescue convoy. He was also shot in a leg and chest. He died of injuries at the Landstuhl Regional Military Medical Center. | Bronze Medal with Value Recognition, Fleury Medal, Purple Heart |
| PFC James Henry Martin, Jr. | 23 | Member of the 2nd Squadron, 2nd Platoon, Company A. Dead in the rescue convoy for a shot in the head. | Purple Heart |
Military Consequences
At a session to review national security policies held at the White House on October 6, 1993, President Bill Clinton ordered the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral David E. Jeremiah, stop all US actions against Aidid except those in self-defense. He reappointed Ambassador Robert B. Oakley as special envoy to Somalia in an attempt to negotiate a peace agreement and announced that all US forces would withdraw from Somalia no later than March 31, 1994. On December 15, 1993, the Defense Secretary Les Aspin stepped down taking much of the blame for his decision to decline tank and armored vehicle support for the mission. About a hundred Marines remained at sea to assist with any unarmed evacuation missions. that could occur around the more than 1,000 civilians and military advisers who remained as part of the US liaison mission. The Ready Battalion, 24th Infantry Division, 1-64 Armor, comprised of 1,300 troops from Task Force Rogue, including most of the troops from 1-64 Armor and infantry troops from its sister battalion 3 -15 Infantry. It was the first time that M1 Abrams tanks were airlifted, using Lockheed C-5 Galaxy aircraft, which landed 18 M1 tanks and 44 M2/M3 Bradley infantry vehicles, while the rest of the Rogue Task Force vehicles and equipment it was delivered by ship from Fort Stewart, Georgia, to Mogadishu to provide armed support to US forces.
On February 4, 1994, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 897, which established a process for completing the UNOSOM II mission in March 1995, with the withdrawal of United Nations troops from Somalia.. In August 1994, the UN requested that the United States lead a coalition to support the final withdrawal of UNOSOM II forces from Somalia. On December 16, 1994, President Clinton approved Operation United Shield and carried it out on January 14, 1995. This multinational operation reached Somalia on February 7, 1995 and began the withdrawal of UNOSOM II forces. On March 6, 1995, all remaining UN troops were withdrawn, ending UNOSOM II.
Policy changes and implications
The 3 consecutive United Nations humanitarian missions in Somalia (UNOSOM I 1992, UNITAF 1992 - 1993, UNOSOM II 1993-1995) were considered by many to be failures, and the evolving war that began in 1986 continues into 2018 The Clinton administration, in particular, received considerable criticism over the outcome of the operation. The main elements of criticism revolved around the administration's decision to leave the region before completing the objectives of the security and humanitarian operations, the failure to recognize the threat posed by al Qaeda elements in the region, as well as the threat against United States interests in its own territory. Critics claim that Osama bin Laden and other members of Al Qaeda provided support and training to the forces of Mohamed Farrah Aidid. Bin Laden even denigrated the administration's decision to leave the region prematurely, stating that it demonstrated "the weakness, the feebleness, and the cowardice of the American soldier".
The loss of US military personnel during Operation Black Hawk Downs, and television images of US soldiers being dragged off the streets by Somalis, sparked public outcry. The Clinton administration responded by reducing humanitarian efforts in the region.
On September 26, 2006, in an interview on Fox News, former President Bill Clinton gave his version of the events surrounding the Somalia mission. Clinton defended her strategy to withdraw US forces and denied that the departure was premature. He said that he had been pressured by conservative Republicans to leave the region before the objectives of the operation had been achieved: "... (the Republican conservatives) were trying to get him to announce the withdrawal from Somalia in 1993, the day after the the fall of the Black Hawk, and I refused to do it and we stayed six more months and had an orderly transfer to the United Nations."
Clinton's sayings would suggest that the United States was not deterred from pursuing humanitarian gains by the loss of men during the fall of the Black Hawks. In the same interview, he noted that, at the time, no one thought Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda were connected to the events. He said the mission was strictly humanitarian.
Fear of a repeat of the events in Somalia shaped American policy in subsequent years, with many commentators identifying the graphic fallout from the Battle of Mogadishu as the main reason behind America's failure to intervene in subsequent conflicts, such as the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. According to former Deputy Special Envoy on Somalia, Walter Clarke: "the ghosts of Somalia continue to haunt US policy. Our non-response in Rwanda was out of fear of getting involved in something like Somalia again." Similarly, during the Iraq war, when four American contractors were killed in the city of Fallujah, and they were dragged through the streets and desecrated by an angry mob, direct comparisons by the US media to the Battle of Magadishu led to the first Battle of Fallujah.
The book and the movie
In 1999, journalist Mark Bowden published the book, written in the form of a novel, based on the events that occurred, Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern Warfare narrating the chronology of events that occurred related to the the battle. The book was made into a film by Ridley Scott in 2001 under the name Black Hawk Down (Black Hawk shot down, in Spanish).
The film depicts the events related to the battle and some heroics described in the book, but it cuts out much of the material in the book.
One of the most interesting arguments in this regard is the influence that the sight of the corpses of US soldiers on television had on public opinion, which led to a movement against the permanence of the US army in its mission of peace together with the UN in Somalia and, finally, its withdrawal. This was interpreted by many analysts as a victory for the influence of the media in modern warfare.
Return of the Rangers in 2013
In March 2013, two Ranger Task Force survivors returned to Mogadishu with a film crew to record a short film, Return to Mogadishu: Remembering Black Hawk Down, which debuted in October 2013., during the 20th anniversary of the battle. Author Jeff Struecker and country singer/songwriter Keni Thomas relived the battle while driving in armored vehicles through the Bakaara market and visiting the site of Wolcott's crash.
The Super 6-1 returns to the United States
In August 2013, the wreckage of the Super 6-1, consisting of the main rotor and parts of the nose section, was removed from the crash site and repatriated to the United States thanks to the efforts of David Snelson and Alisha Ryu, and are on display at the Air and Special Operations Museum at Fort Bragg, Fayetteville, North Carolina. The exhibit features immersive dioramas and artifacts from the battle, including the remains of the Super 6-1, the first Black Hawk helicopter shot down during the battle, and of the Super 6-4.