Difference between revisions of "Battle of Mogadishu (Somalia, 1993)"
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In October 1993, 160 U.S. Army Rangers and Delta Force soldiers were transported in helicopters and armoured vehicles into downtown Mogadishu, Somalia, on a mission to capture warlord [[Mohamed Farrah Aidid]] and other commanders of his militia. But the US special forces raid went tragically wrong. Two Blackhawk helicopters were shot down, and a long urban battle developes in which in which 18 Americans were killed and 73 wounded, and helicopter pilot Michael Durant captured by an angry militia. Hundreds of Somalis were also killed in the fighting. | In October 1993, 160 U.S. Army Rangers and Delta Force soldiers were transported in helicopters and armoured vehicles into downtown Mogadishu, Somalia, on a mission to capture warlord [[Mohamed Farrah Aidid]] and other commanders of his militia. But the US special forces raid went tragically wrong. Two Blackhawk helicopters were shot down, and a long urban battle developes in which in which 18 Americans were killed and 73 wounded, and helicopter pilot Michael Durant captured by an angry militia. Hundreds of Somalis were also killed in the fighting. | ||
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| + | ==Background== | ||
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| + | US marines were sent to Somalia in 1992 by then-President George H.W. Bush, as part of a United Nations humanitarian effort that also included 13,000 soldiers from other nations. The original mission was to restore law and order so that starving civilans could be fed. According to a 1995 Congressional investigation, however, the US forces increasingly bore the brunt of taking on the violent warlords and their militias, who threatened the UN’s efforts. After Aidid’s militia ambushed Pakistani peacekeeping forces in June 1993, the UN representative in Somalia, Jonathan Howe, ordered Aidid’s arrest. The job of capturing Aidid and his top lieutenants fell to US special forces, and resulted in ill-fated raid in October 1993. | ||
==Battle== | ==Battle== | ||
Revision as of 20:02, November 14, 2016
In October 1993, 160 U.S. Army Rangers and Delta Force soldiers were transported in helicopters and armoured vehicles into downtown Mogadishu, Somalia, on a mission to capture warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid and other commanders of his militia. But the US special forces raid went tragically wrong. Two Blackhawk helicopters were shot down, and a long urban battle developes in which in which 18 Americans were killed and 73 wounded, and helicopter pilot Michael Durant captured by an angry militia. Hundreds of Somalis were also killed in the fighting.
Background
US marines were sent to Somalia in 1992 by then-President George H.W. Bush, as part of a United Nations humanitarian effort that also included 13,000 soldiers from other nations. The original mission was to restore law and order so that starving civilans could be fed. According to a 1995 Congressional investigation, however, the US forces increasingly bore the brunt of taking on the violent warlords and their militias, who threatened the UN’s efforts. After Aidid’s militia ambushed Pakistani peacekeeping forces in June 1993, the UN representative in Somalia, Jonathan Howe, ordered Aidid’s arrest. The job of capturing Aidid and his top lieutenants fell to US special forces, and resulted in ill-fated raid in October 1993.
Battle
When the US forces arrived at their target, two of Aidid's top lieutenants were captured. Just when the team thought the mission had been accomplished, a militiaman armed with a rocket-propelled grenade launcher managed to shoot down one of the Black Hawk helicopters, known as Super 6-1. The pilot and co-pilot were killed, and five soldiers were injured, including a Delta sniper who later died from his wounds. A rescue force managed to help the survivors escape, but shortly afterward, a second Black Hawk was brought down by ground fire. Three crew members were killed, but pilot Michael Durant, who suffered a broken back and leg, survived and was captured.
Two Delta Force NCOs, Sergeant Gary Gordon and Sergeant First Class Randall Shughart, who rushed into the crashzone in an effort to rescue Durant and were killed, were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 1994. Durant endured mistreatment from his captors, who eventually released him 11 days later, after negotiations led by US diplomat Robert Oakley.
Aftermath
The battle had repercussions. Several days later, President Bill Clinton announced that all US troops would leave Somalia within six months. In 1995, the UN mission in Somalia ended. As for the Somali warlord Aidid, any satisfaction that he got from defeating the American forces was short-lived. Less than three years later, he reportedly died of a heart attack after surgery for gunshot wounds.
