‘Black Hawk Down’: Battle of Mogadishu begins during Somali Civil War 30 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Oct 3 1993)

1990s


Video 'Black Hawk Down | The True Story Of The Battle Of Mogadishu #blackhawkdown #mogadishu #war #army'

(Sunday, October 3, 1993, 1:50 p.m. East Africa Time; part of Operation Gothic Serpent and UNOSOM II) — The Battle of Mogadishu, fought in Mogadishu, Somalia, between forces of the United States — supported by UNOSOM II — against the forces of the Somali National Alliance (SNA) and armed irregular citizens of south Mogadishu as part of the two-year-old Somali Civil War, began today when U.S. forces attempted to seize two of SNA leader Mohammed Farah Aidid’s top lieutenants during a meeting deep in the city on the East African coast.

The raid was only intended to last an hour, but morphed into an overnight standoff and rescue operation extending into the daylight hours of the next day.

While the goal of the operation was achieved, it was a pyrrhic victory and spiraled into the deadly Battle of Mogadishu.


Video 'Black Hawk Down The Untold Story - Director's Cut'

As the operation was ongoing, Somali forces shot down three American Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters using RPG-7s, with two crashing deep in hostile territory.

A desperate defense of the two downed helicopters began and fighting lasted through the night to defend the survivors of the crashes. In the morning, a UNOSOM II armored convoy fought their way to the besieged soldiers and withdrew, incurring further casualties but rescuing the survivors.

No battle since the Vietnam War had killed so many U.S. troops. Casualties included 18 dead American soldiers and 73 wounded, with Malaysian forces suffering one death and seven wounded, and Pakistani forces two injuries.

Somali casualties were far higher; most estimates are between 133 and 700 dead.

After the battle, dead American soldiers were dragged through the streets of Mogadishu by enraged Somalis, an act that was broadcast on American television to public outcry.

The battle led to the pullout of the U.N. mission in 1995.

Fear of a repeat drove American reluctance to increase its involvement in Somalia and other regions. Some scholars believe that it influenced the Clinton administration’s decision not to intervene in the Rwandan genocide, and it has commonly been referred to as “Somalia Syndrome.”