Battle of Mogadishu (1993)
106346
225985809
2008-07-16T09:42:28Z
99.146.163.141
/* Links with Al-Qaeda */
:{{For|other battles that occurred in Mogadishu|Battle of Mogadishu}}
<!-- Do not edit the Casualty count without discussing it on talk first
-->{{Infobox Military Conflict
|conflict=1993 Battle of Mogadishu
|image=[[Image:Black Hawk Down Super64 over Mogadishu coast.jpg|300px|]]
|caption=[[Mike Durant]]'s helicopter ''Super Six-Four'' heading out over Mogadishu on [[3 October]] [[1993]].
|partof=the [[Somali Civil War]]
|date=[[October 3]] - [[October 4]], [[1993]]
|place=[[Mogadishu, Somalia]]
|casus=
|territory=
|result=Task Force Ranger achieved its mission goal / Somali political victory**<BR><small>**See Note for political details</small>
|combatant1='''{{flag|United Nations}}''' </br>
{{flag|United States|1912}}</br>
{{flagicon|Malaysia}} [[Malaysia]]</br>
{{flagicon|Pakistan}} [[Pakistan]]</br>
|combatant2=[[Somali National Alliance]]-affiliated militias
|commander1=[[William F. Garrison]]
|commander2= {{flagicon|Somalia}} [[Mohamed Farrah Aidid]]
|strength1=160
|strength2=2,000-4,000
|casualties1='''U.S.'''<br>19 killed<br>73 wounded<br>1 captured<br> '''Malaysia'''<br>1 killed<br>7 wounded<br>'''Pakistan'''<br>2 wounded<br>
|casualties2='''SNA Militia and civilians'''<br>Unknown, estimates range from 200<ref name="red cross">{{cite news | last = red cross| first = red cross | coauthors = time magazine | title = Anatomy of a Disaster| work = | pages = | language = | publisher = Time Magazine | date = [[1993-10-18]] | url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,979399-2,00.html | accessdate = 2008-01-19}}</ref> to at least 500<ref name="bowden1">{{cite news | last = Bowden | first = Mark | coauthors = | title = Black Hawk Down: A defining battle | work = | pages = | language = | publisher = The Philadelphia Inquirer | date = [[1997-11-16]] | url = http://inquirer.philly.com/packages/somalia/nov16/rang16.asp | accessdate = 2007-06-25}}</ref> killed (U.S. est. 1,000-1,500) and 3,000-4,000 wounded (U.S. est.); some estimates as high as over 10,000 killed<br>'''SNA Militia'''<br>Est. 133 killed (SNA estimate)<ref>[http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/ambush/interviews/haad.html frontline: ambush in mogadishu: interviews: captain haad<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> to 700+ killed<br>Est. 1,000+ wounded<br>21 captured
|notes=**Note: Task Force Ranger achieved the mission objectives of capturing specific Aidid lieutenants, but the political fallout from the resultant battle and consequent eventual U.S. withdrawal from Somalia could classify this as a [[Pyrrhic victory]].<ref name="bowden2">{{cite news
| last = Bowden
| first = Mark
| coauthors =
| title = Black Hawk Down
| work =
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = The Philadelphia Inquirer
| date = [[1997-11-16]]
| url = http://inquirer.philly.com/packages/somalia/dec14/default14.asp
| accessdate = 2006-10-25 }}</ref>
|}}
{{Campaignbox Somali Civil War}}
The '''Battle of Mogadishu''' (also referred to as the '''Battle of the Black Sea''') or for Somalis '''The Day of the Rangers''' ({{lang-so|''Ma-alinti Rangers''}}) was a battle that was part of [[Operation Gothic Serpent]] that was fought on [[October 3]] and [[October_4|4]], 1993, in [[Mogadishu, Somalia]], by forces of the [[United States]] supported by [[UNOSOM II]] against [[Somalia|Somali]] [[militia]] fighters loyal to [[warlord]] [[Mohamed Farrah Aidid]]. The battle is also referred to as the '''First Battle of Mogadishu''' to distinguish it from the later [[Second Battle of Mogadishu]].
Task Force Ranger, which consisted of an assault force made up of Army [[Delta Force]], [[75th Ranger Regiment|Ranger teams]], an air element provided by the [[160th SOAR|160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment]], four [[Navy SEAL]] operators from SEAL Team 6, and members of the [[Air Force Pararescue]]/[[Air Force Special Tactics#Combat Control|Air Force Combat Controllers]], executed an operation which involved traveling from their compound on the outskirts of the city to capture tier one personalities of the Habr Gidr clan, headed by Aidid. The assault force was composed of nineteen aircraft, twelve vehicles and 160 men. During the operation, two U.S. [[UH-60 Black Hawk|MH-60 Black Hawk]] helicopters were shot down by [[RPG-7|rocket-propelled grenades]], and three others were damaged. Some of the soldiers were able to evacuate wounded back to the compound, but others were trapped at the crash sites and cut off. An urban battle ensued throughout the night. Early the next morning, a combined task force was sent to rescue the trapped soldiers. It contained soldiers from [[Pakistan]], [[Malaysia]], and the U.S. [[10th Mountain Division (United States)|10th Mountain Division]]. They assembled some 100 vehicles, including Pakistani [[tank]]s (American-made [[M48 Patton|M48s]]) and Malaysian [[Condor (APC)|Condor]] [[Armoured personnel carrier|armored personnel carriers]], and were supported by U.S. [[MH-6 Little Bird|A/MH-6 Little Bird]], and [[UH-60 Black Hawk|MH-60]] helicopters. This task force reached the first crash site and led the trapped soldiers out. The second crash site was overrun and pilot [[Mike Durant]], the lone surviving American from that site, was taken prisoner but later released.
Somali casualty figures are unknown, but American estimates are that between 1,000 and 1,500 Somali militiamen and civilians lost their lives in the battle, with injuries to another 3,000-4,000. However, the International Committee of the Red Cross estimated 200 Somali civilian killed and several hundred wounded in the fighting.<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,979399-2,00.html Anatomy of a Disaster - TIME<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The book ''[[Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War]]'' estimates more than 700 Somali militiamen dead and more than 1,000 wounded, but the Somali National Alliance in a Frontline documentary on American television acknowledged only 133 killed in the whole battle.<ref>[http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/ambush/ PBS - frontline: ambush in mogadishu<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Eighteen American soldiers died and 73 were wounded (another American soldier, Delta operator [[Sergeant First Class|SFC]] Matt Rierson, was killed in a [[Mortar (weapon)|mortar]] attack two days later). Among UN forces, 1 Malaysian soldier died and 7 were wounded, along with 2 Pakistanis.
==Background to the battle==
In January 1991, the dictator of [[Somalia]], [[Mohammed Siad Barre]], was overthrown by a coalition of opposing clans, called the United Somalia Congress. After this revolution, the coalition divided into two groups. One was led by [[Ali Mahdi Muhammad]], who became president; and the other, by [[Mohammed Farah Aidid]]. In total, there were four opposing groups: the [[United Somali Congress]] (USC), [[Somali Salvation Democratic Front]] (SSDF), [[Somali Patriotic Movement]] (SPM), and [[Somali Democratic Movement]] (SDM), which continued to fight over the domination of Somalia. In June 1991, a ceasefire was agreed to, but failed to hold. A fifth group, the [[Somali National Movement]] (SNM), had already seceded from the northwest portion of Somalia in June. The SNM renamed it the [[Somaliland]] Republic, with its leader Abdel-Rahman Ahmed Ali as president.
In September 1991, severe fighting broke out in [[Mogadishu]], which continued in the following months and spread throughout the country, with over 20,000 people killed or injured by the end of the year. These wars led to the destruction of the [[economy of Somalia|agriculture of Somalia]], which in turn led to starvation in large parts of the country. The [[international community]] began to send [[food]] supplies to halt the [[starvation]], but vast amounts of food were hijacked and brought to local [[clan]] leaders, who routinely exchanged it with other countries for weapons. An estimated 80 percent of the food was stolen. These factors led to even more starvation, from which an estimated 300,000 people died, and another 1.5 million people suffered, between 1991 and 1992. In July 1992, after a ceasefire between the opposing clan factions, the [[United Nations]] (UN) sent 50 military observers to watch the distribution of the food.
[[Operation Provide Relief]] began in August 1992, when the U.S. President [[George H. W. Bush]] announced that U.S. military transports would support the multinational UN relief effort in Somalia. Ten [[C-130 Hercules|C-130]]s and 400 people were deployed to [[Mombasa]], [[Kenya]] during Operation Provide Relief, airlifting aid to remote areas in Somalia and reducing reliance on truck convoys. One member of the 86th Supply Squadron, [[United States Air Forces in Europe|USAFE]]'s only contribution to the operation, was deployed with the ground support contingent. The Air Force C-130s delivered 48,000 tons of food and medical supplies in six months to international humanitarian organizations trying to help the over three million starving people in the country. When this proved inadequate to stop the massive death and displacement of the Somali people (500,000 dead and 1.5 million refugees or displaced), the U.S., in December 1992, launched a major coalition operation to assist and protect humanitarian activities, [[Operation Restore Hope]], under which the United States would assume the unified command of the new operation, in accordance with Resolution 794 (1992). The U.S. Marine Corps landed with the [[15th Marine Expeditionary Unit]] in Mogadishu and secured nearly one-third of the city, the port, and airport facilities, to facilitate airlifted humanitarian supplies in two weeks time. Elements of the [[2nd Battalion 9th Marines|2nd Battalion]], [[9th Marine Regiment (United States)|9th Marines]] quickly secured routes to Baidoa, Balidogle and Kismayo, then were reinforced by [[3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion]] and the US Army's [[10th Mountain Division (United States)|10th Mountain Division]].
==Mission shift to nation-building==
[[Image:75th Ranger Regiment Bravo Company 3rd Batallion Somalia 1993.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion of the [[75th Ranger Regiment (United States)|75th Ranger Regiment]] in Somalia, 1993.]]
A key moment in the operation was when the [[Presidency of Bill Clinton|Clinton Administration]] shifted the mission from delivering food supplies to [[nation-building]].
On [[March 3]], [[1993]], the U.N. Secretary-General submitted to the U.N. Security Council his recommendations for effecting the transition from [[Unified Task Force|UNITAF]] to [[United Nations Operation in Somalia II|UNOSOM II]]. He indicated that since the adoption of Council resolution 794 (1992) in December 1992, the presence and operations of UNITAF had a positive impact on the security situation in Somalia and on the effective delivery of humanitarian assistance (UNITAF deployed some 37,000 personnel over forty percent of southern and central Somalia). However, there was still no effective government, police, or national army with the result of serious security threats to UN personnel. To that end, the U.N. Security Council authorized UNOSOM II to establish a secure environment throughout Somalia, to achieve national reconciliation so as to create a democratic state.
At the Conference on National Reconciliation in Somalia, held on [[March 15]], [[1993]], in Addis Ababa, all fifteen Somali parties agreed to the terms set out to restore peace and democracy. Yet by May it became clear that, although signatory to the March Agreement, General [[Mohammed Farrah Aidid]]'s faction would not cooperate in the Agreement's implementation.
UNOSOM II's attempts to implement disarmament led to violence. On [[June 5]], [[1993]], twenty-four Pakistani troops in the UN force were killed in heavy fighting in an area of Mogadishu controlled by Aidid. It was widely reported that the bodies of the UN peacekeepers had been mutilated. Some were skinned. Any hope of a peaceful resolution of the conflict quickly vanished.{{Fact|date=April 2008}} The next day, the [[United Nations Security Council]] issued [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 837|Resolution 837]], calling for the arrest and trial of those responsible for the ambush.
==Attack on safe house==
On [[July 12]], [[1993]], a United States-led operation was launched on what was believed to be a safe house in Mogadishu where members of Aidid's [[Habar Gidir]] clan were supposedly meeting to plan more violence against U.S. and U.N. forces. In reality, elders of the clan, not gunmen, were meeting in the house. According to U.N. officials, the agenda (which was advertised in the local newspaper) was to discuss ways to peacefully resolve the conflict between Aidid and the multinational task force in Somalia, and perhaps even to remove Aidid as leader of the clan.
During the 17 minute combat operation, U.S. [[AH-1 Cobra|Cobra]] attack helicopters fired 16 [[TOW missile]]s and thousands of 20-millimeter cannon rounds into the compound, killing 73 of the clan elders.
It would also lead to the deaths of four journalists, [[Dan Eldon]], [[Hos Maina]], [[Hansi Kraus]] and [[Anthony Macharia]], who were killed by angry Somali mobs when they arrived to cover the incident. A fifth journalist, [[Scott Peterson (writer)|Scott Peterson]], was injured but was rescued by his driver.
Some in Mogadishu believe that this was a turning point in unifying Somalis against the U.S. and U.N. efforts in Somalia, as it turned many Somalis, including moderates and those opposed to the Habar Gidir, against the United States.<ref>http://hotzone.yahoo.com/b/hotzone/blogs999 Kevin Sites ''Black Hawk Ground'' September 26 2005, Yahoo News.</ref>
==Operation Gothic Serpent==
:''See [[Timeline of the Battle of Mogadishu]] for a detailed chronology from a U.S. Army perspective''
[[Image:Battle of mogadishu map of city.png|right|thumb|Map of key sites in [[Mogadishu]] during the battle.]]
[[Image:Black Hawk Down Rangers under fire October 3, 1993.jpg|right|thumb|Rangers under fire in a Somali street near Irene’s target building on [[October 3]], [[1993]]. This is the only known photograph taken by American forces from the ground during the battle. The target building looms in the background to the right.]]
[[Image:Black Hawk Down groupchop gallery Super 64 crew.gif|thumb|The crew of ''Super 64'' a month before the Battle of Mogadishu. From left: Winn Mahuron, Tommy Field, Bill Cleveland, Ray Frank and [[Mike Durant]].]]
On [[October 3]] [[1993]], Task Force Ranger, [[United States Special Operations Forces|U.S. Special Operations Forces]] composed mainly of Bravo Company [[3rd Ranger Battalion|3d Battalion]], [[75th Ranger Regiment (United States)|75th Ranger Regiment]], 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1st SFOD-D; better known as “[[Delta Force]]”) operators, and aviation support from the [[160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (United States)|160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne)]] (“The Night Stalkers”), attempted to capture Aidid's [[foreign minister]], [[Omar Salad Elmi]], and his top political advisor, [[Mohamed Hassan Awale]].<ref>{{cite web
|title=Task Force Ranger: Somalia
|work=To Fight With Entrepidy
|url=http://www.johndlock.com/tfwi/somalia.php3
|accessdate=2007-01-29 }}</ref>
The plan was to [[Fast-roping|fast rope]] from hovering MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, capture the targets, and load them onto a ground convoy for transport back to the U.S. compound. Four Ranger [[chalk (military)|chalks]] commanded by [[Michael D. Steele|Captain Michael Steele]], also inserted by helicopter, were to provide a secure square perimeter on the four corners of the operation's target building.
The ground extraction convoy was supposed to reach the captive targets a few minutes after the beginning of the operation. However, it ran into delays. Somali citizens and local militia formed barricades along the streets of Mogadishu with rocks and burning tires, blocking the convoy from reaching the Rangers and their captives. A five-ton truck, part of the convoy, was struck by an [[RPG-7]] rocket, inflicting fatal wounds to MSG Tim "Griz" Martin.
Other complications arose. A [[United States Army Rangers|Ranger]] was seriously injured during the insertion. [[Private First Class|PFC]] [[Todd Blackburn]] fell while [[fast-roping|fast roping]] from a helicopter hovering {{convert|70|ft|m|0}} above the streets. Minutes later, a [[UH-60 Black Hawk|MH-60 Black Hawk]] helicopter, ''Super 61'' piloted by [[Warrant Officer (United States)#Ranks|CW3]] Cliff Wolcott, was shot down by a [[RPG-7|rocket propelled grenade]].
A [[Search and rescue|Combat Search and Rescue]] team, led by TSgt [[Tim Wilkinson]], of [[United States Air Force Pararescue|Air Force Pararescuemen]] and Rangers, despite an RPG hit that crippled their helicopter, roped down to ''Super 61'''s crash site, where they found the pilots dead and five injured inside the Black Hawk. Under intense fire, the team removed the injured to a nearby collection point, where they built a make-shift shelter for the wounded using [[Kevlar]] floorboards from the Blackhawk.
There was confusion between the ground convoy and the assault team. The assault team and the ground convoy waited for twenty minutes just out of sight of each other, ready to move, but each under the impression that they were to be first contacted by the other. During the wait, a second Black Hawk helicopter, ''Super 64'' piloted by [[Mike Durant|CW3 Michael Durant]], was downed.
Most of the assault team went to the first crash site for a rescue operation. Upon reaching the site, about 90 Rangers found themselves under siege from heavy militia fire. Despite air support, the Rangers were effectively trapped for the night. With a growing number of wounded needing shelter, the Rangers occupied several nearby houses taking the residents prisoner. Outside, a stiff breeze stirred up blinding brown clouds of dust.
The local SNA commander, Colonel Sharif Hassan Giumale decided he would call for a mortar bombardment of the houses rather than lose men in house to house fighting. Giumale had requested 200 [[White phosphorus (weapon)|white phosphorus]] bombs and six mobile 60 mm mortars crews. The information that civilians were being held captive changed his plans.<ref>{{cite news
| author=Rick Atkinson
| title=Night of a Thousand Casualties; Battle Triggered U.S. Decision to Withdraw From Somalia
| url=http://www.ssc.upenn.edu/~rousseau/archived_web/psci150/Atkinson.doc
| format=.doc file
| work=The Washington Post
| page=A1
| date=1994-01-31
| accessdate = 2008-03-16
}}</ref>
At the second crash site, two [[Delta Force|Delta]] snipers, [[Randy Shughart|SFC Randy Shughart]] and [[Master Sergeant|MSG]] [[Gary Gordon]], were inserted by helicopter (at their own request, permission was denied twice by Command but granted when they persisted and made a third request) to protect the injured crew from the approaching mob. Both snipers were later killed when the site was overrun by Somali militiamen. The Black Hawk's pilot, [[Warrant Officer (United States)|CW3]] [[Michael Durant]], who was seriously injured in the crash, was taken hostage. For their actions, Shughart and Gordon were [[Posthumous recognition|posthumously]] awarded the [[Medal of Honor]].
Repeated attempts by the Somalis to mass forces and overrun the American positions in a series of firefights near the crash sites, were neutralized by aggressive small arms fire and by strafing and rocket attacks from [[MH-6 Little Bird|AH-6J Little Bird]] helicopter gunships of the Nightstalkers, the only air support equipped to operate at night. The Somali National Alliance militia casualties were reported as 700 killed and about 1000 wounded. However, an eyewitness to the battle says the recovery parties for the SNA dead in the vicinity of the Olympic Hotel would indicate about 60.<ref>{{cite news
| author = Alex de Waal
| title = U.S. War Crimes in Somalia
| url = http://www.newleftreview.org/?view=1962
| work = New Left Review
| pages = 131-144.
| date = July-August 1998
| accessdate = 2008-03-16
| archiveurl = http://hornofafrica.ssrc.org/de_Waal3/index2.html
| archivedate = 2007-02-28
}}</ref>
A relief convoy from [[Task Force]] [[14th Infantry Regiment (United States)|2-14 Infantry]], [[10th Mountain Division (United States)|10th Mountain Division]], aided by [[Malaysian Army|Malaysian]] and [[Pakistan Army|Pakistani]] U.N. forces, arrived in the early morning. No contingency planning or coordination with U.N. forces had been arranged prior to the operation; consequently, the recovery of the surrounded U.S. soldiers was significantly complicated and delayed.
The battle was over by [[October 4]], [[1993]], at 6:30 AM. American forces were finally evacuated to the U.N. Pakistani base by the armored convoy and the “[[Mogadishu Mile]].” In all, 18 U.S. soldiers died of wounds from the battle and another 73 were injured. After the battle, one or more US casualties of the conflict were dragged through the streets of Mogadish by crowds of local civilians and SNA forces.<ref>{{cite news
| first = Paul
| last = Watson
| title = Pulitzer Prize-Winning Photo
| url = http://library.torstarphotos.com/viewpicture.tlx?pubgsearchid=1199604663&pictureid=52971
| format = acceptance of terms of use required
| work = Toronto Star
| publisher = Toronto Star Newspapers Limited
}}</ref> The Malaysian forces lost one soldier and had seven injured, while the Pakistanis suffered two injured. Casualties on the Somali side were heavy, with estimates on fatalities ranging from 500 to over 2,000 people. The Somali casualties were a mixture of militiamen and local civilians. Somali civilians suffered heavy casualties due to the dense urban character of that portion of Mogadishu. Two days later, a mortar round fell on the U.S. compound, killing one U.S. soldier, SFC Matt Rierson, and injuring another twelve.
: [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&ie=UTF8&om=1&t=k&ll=2.048101,45.326972&spn=0.002595,0.00412&z=18 Google Maps link to crash site #2 (Super Six Four)]
==Order of battle==
===U.S. and UNOSOM===
Units involved in the battle:
* Task Force Ranger, including :
** C Squadron, 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1st SFOD-D) — aka "[[Delta Force]]"
** Bravo Company, [[3rd Ranger Battalion (United States)|3rd Ranger Battalion]], [[75th Ranger Regiment (United States)|75th Ranger Regiment]]
** 1st Battalion, [[160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne)]] (a.k.a. "The Night Stalkers") with MH-6J and AH-6 "Little Birds" and MH-60A/L Black Hawks
** [[Air Force Special Tactics#Combat Control|Combat Controllers]] and [[Air Force Pararescue|Pararescuemen]] from the [[United States Air Force|USAF]] [[24th Special Tactics Squadron (United States)|24th Special Tactics Squadron]]
** a [[United States Navy|Navy]] [[Naval Special Warfare Development Group|DEVGRU]] then-labeled SEAL Team Six detachment (four [[United States Navy SEALs|Navy SEAL]] operators working with the Lost Convoy)
* [[Task Force]]-[[10th Mountain Division (United States)|10th Mountain Division]], including:
** 2nd Battalion, [[14th Infantry Regiment (United States)|14th Infantry Regiment]],
** 1st Platoon, C Company,<ref>[http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/Eng/41EngineerBattalion.htm 41st Engineer Battalion]</ref>
** One platoon from C Company, 1st Battalion, [[87th Infantry Regiment]]
** 15th FF Battalion, of the [[Frontier Force Regiment]], [[Pakistan Army]]
** 19 Lancers of the [[Pakistan Army]]
* United Nations Forces
*** 19th Battalion, [[Royal Malay Regiment]] of the [[Malaysian Army]]
*** 10 Battalion Baloch Regiment of the Pakistan Army, (less two companies who were held in reserve)
===Somali militias===
The size and organizational structure of Somali forces are not known in detail; in all, between 2,000-4,000 regular militia members are believed to have participated, almost all of which belonged to Aidid's [[Somali National Alliance]], drawing largely from the [[Habar Gedir]] clan.
==Consequences of the operation==
[[Image:Black Hawk Down Rangers return to base after mission.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Chalk Four Ranger returns to base after a mission in Somalia, 1993.]]
In a national security policy review session held in the White House on [[October 6]], [[1993]], U.S. President [[Bill Clinton]] directed the acting chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral [[David E. Jeremiah]], to stop all actions by U.S. forces against Aidid except those required in self-defense. He also reappointed Ambassador Robert B. Oakley as special envoy to Somalia in an attempt to broker a peace settlement and then announced that all U.S. Forces would withdraw from Somalia no later than [[March 31]], [[1994]]. On [[December 15]], [[1993]], Secretary of Defense [[Les Aspin]] stepped down, taking much of the blame for what was deemed a failed policy. A few hundred Marines remained offshore to assist with any noncombatant evacuation mission that might occur regarding the 1,000-plus U.S. civilians and military advisers remaining as part of the U.S. liaison mission.
The Ready Battalion of the [[24th Infantry Division (United States)|24th Infantry Division]], 1-64 Armor, was sent from Fort Stewart, Georgia, to Mogadishu in the wake of this battle to secure the city and prevent a recurrence of hostilities.
All U.S. personnel were finally withdrawn by March 1995.
Service analyses of the action later identified three factors in the failure of the raid to achieve its objectives without serious casualties on both sides:
*A failure of intelligence gathering, particularly in relying on local intelligence sources only and failing to recognize Aidid's capability in urban guerilla warfare;
*A lack of political support for the Task Force Ranger mission, reflected in denial or removal of military support assets that would have aided the force, such as [[M1 Abrams]] tanks , [[AC-130 Spectre]] gunships, and [[M2/M3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle|M2 Bradley]] APCs.
*A lack of decisive force by Task Force Ranger, including insufficient troops, equipment, and weaponry.
All three factors contributed to the decision to use tactics successful in previous raids but inappropriate to downtown Mogadishu, and to launch the operation during daylight instead of at night. However, by night, the meeting which the US wished to raid and capture the lieutenants may have ended, giving them no choice but to launch it in the day.
===Policy changes===
The Battle of Mogadishu led to a shift in American foreign policy, as the Clinton administration became increasingly reluctant to use military intervention in Third World conflicts peripherally related to the supreme national interests of the United States; (such as the [[Rwandan Genocide]], the mass murder of an estimated 800,000 to 1,071,000 ethnic [[Tutsi]]s and moderate [[Hutu]]s by Hutu militia groups in [[Rwanda]] in 1994), though Clinton approached Senator Dole and Speaker Gingrich about the possible use of military intervention, both parties agreed such action imprudent. President Clinton also refused to mobilize U.S. ground troops in fighting the [[Army of Republika Srpska|Bosnian Serb Army]] in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] in 1995 and the Yugoslav Army in the [[Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]] (specifically, the province of [[Kosovo]]) in 1999, out of concern for sacrificing American soldiers in conflicts only peripherally related to the [[national interest]] or [[national defense]] of the United States, which could have resulted in situations similar to Mogadishu in 1993.
===Links with Al-Qaeda===
There have been allegations that [[Osama bin Laden]]'s [[Al-Qaeda]] movement was involved in training and funding of Aidid's men. In his 2001 book, ''[[Holy War, Inc.]]'', [[CNN]] [[reporter]] [[Peter Bergen]] interviewed Bin Laden who affirmed these allegations. According to Bergen, Bin Laden asserted that fighters affiliated with his group were involved in killing American troops in Somalia in 1993, a claim he had earlier made to the Arabic newspaper [[Al-Quds Al-Arabi]]. The Al-Qaeda fighters in Somalia are rumored to have included the organization's military chief, [[Mohammed Atef]], later killed by U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
Four and a half years after the Battle of Mogadishu, in an interview in May [[1998]],<ref>[http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/binladen/who/interview.html frontline: hunting Bin laden: who is bin laden?: interview with osama bin laden (in may 1998) | PBS<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> bin Laden disparaged the withdrawal of U.S. troops from [[Somalia]].
==''[[Black Hawk Down]]''==
In 1999, writer [[Mark Bowden]] published the book ''[[Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War]]'', which chronicles the events that surrounded the battle.
The book was adapted into the 2001 film ''[[Black Hawk Down (film)|Black Hawk Down]]'', produced by [[Jerry Bruckheimer]] and directed by [[Ridley Scott]]. The film describes the events surrounding the operation and some of the acts of bravery seen on that day. There are obvious differences between the book and the movie, which left out central sections and themes of the book, such as the involvement of civilians in the battle, and de-emphasized the key decision to stay in the area after the initial operation was completed, among others.
According to journalist [[Kevin Sites]]—one of the few Westerners to have reported from Mogadishu since the events of 1993—thousands went to see the film when it premiered in Somalia in 2002. Many people in Mogadishu were angered by it, calling it propaganda that focused on the 18 Americans killed and 73 wounded in the 18-hour battle, when an estimated 500 to 2,000 Somalis were also killed. When it was learned that the battle has been turned into [[Delta Force: Black Hawk Down|a game for PC, Xbox, and PlayStation 2]], Somalis said it made a mockery of a real-life tragedy.<ref>{{cite web
| author = Keven Sites
| url = http://hotzone.yahoo.com/b/hotzone/blogs999
| title = Black Hawk ground
}}</ref>
[[Mike Durant]] told his own story in his 2003 book ''[[In the Company of Heroes]]''.
Later, in 2005, [[Matt Eversmann|Matthew Eversmann]], leader of Chalk 4 during the battle, compiled several different accounts into a book called ''The Battle of Mogadishu''.
==Known casualties==
===Pakistani===
A Pakistani soldier was wounded after his vehicle was attacked by Somali insurgents.
===Malaysian===
[[Image:Royal Malay Regiment.png|right|thumb|150px|The Regimental Crest of the [[Royal Malay Regiment]].]]
* Pvt [[Mat Aznan Awang]], a driver of a Malaysian [[Condor (APC)|Condor]] [[armoured personnel carrier]] hit by an RPG on Oct. 3rd. Mat Aznan Awang was posthumously promoted to Cpl, and awarded [[Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa]] from 19 [[Rejimen Askar Melayu DiRaja|RAMD (Royal Malay Regiment)]] (Mech), [[Malaysia]].
* and 7 soldiers wounded
===Somali===
Ambassador [[Robert Oakley]], the US special representative to Somalia, is quoted as saying: " My own personal estimate is that there must have been 1,500 to 2,000 Somalis killed and wounded that day, because that battle was a true battle. And the Americans and those who came to their rescue, were being shot at from all sides ... a deliberate war battle, if you will, on the part of the Somalis. And women and children were being used as shields and some cases women and children were actually firing weapons, and were coming from all sides. Sort of a rabbit warren of huts, houses, alleys, and twisting and turning streets, so those who were trying to defend themselves were shooting back in all directions. Helicopter gun ships were being used as well as all sorts of automatic weapons on the ground by the U.S. and the United Nations. The Somalis, by and large, were using automatic rifles and grenade launchers and it was a very nasty fight, as intense as any almost any battle you would find".<ref>[http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/ambush/interviews/oakley.html frontline: ambush in mogadishu: interviews: ambassador robert oakley<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
However, Aidid himself claimed that only 315 - civilians and militia - were killed and 812 wounded.<ref>http://www.hrw.org/reports/1994/WR94/Africa-08.htm</ref> Captain Haad, in an interview on American public television, said 133 of the SNA militia were killed.<ref>[http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/ambush/interviews/haad.html frontline: ambush in mogadishu: interviews: captain haad<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
Known civilian deaths include:
* The 3 year-old daughter of [[Maria Osman]], killed when one of the Black Hawks crashed onto the [[Osman family]] home after being attacked by Somali militants.<ref name="sites1">{{cite news
| last = Sites
| first = Kevin
| title = Black Hawk Ground: Cactus and bitterness grow where an American chopper was shot down
| work = Keven Sites: In The Hot Zone
| publisher = Yahoo News
| date = [[1997-11-16]]
| url = http://hotzone.yahoo.com/b//hotzone/blogs999
| accessdate = 2006-11-24 }}</ref>
===United States===
{| class=wikitable style="font-size:95%;"
|-
! style="width:190px;" | Name
! Action
! style="width:190px;" | Medal
|-
! colspan=3 | [[1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta|1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (Delta Force)]]
|-
|'''[[Master Sergeant|MSG]] [[Gary Gordon]]''' || Killed defending the crew of Super Six-Four (Michael Durant) || [[Medal of Honor]] ([[Posthumous recognition|posthumously]]) <sup>1</sup>
|-
|'''[[Sergeant First Class|SFC]] [[Randy Shughart]]''' || Killed defending the crew of Super Six-Four (Michael Durant) || Medal of Honor (posthumously) <sup>1</sup>
|-
|'''[[Staff Sergeant|SSG]] [[Daniel Busch]]''' || Crashed on Super Six-One and was wounded defending the downed crew || [[Silver Star]]
|-
|'''SFC [[Earl Fillmore]]''' || Killed moving to the first crash site || Silver Star
|-
|'''SFC [[Matt Rierson (American Soldier)|Matt Rierson]]''' || Killed on October 6 , 1993 by a mortar which landed just outside the hangar ||
Silver Star
|-
|'''MSG [[Tim "Griz" Martin]]''' || Died from wounds received on the Lost Convoy ||
|-
! colspan=3 | [[75th Ranger Regiment (United States)|75th Ranger Regiment]]
|-
|'''[[Corporal|CPL]] [[Jamie Smith (soldier)|Jamie Smith]]''' || Died of wounds with the pinned-down force around crash site one || [[Bronze Star Medal|Bronze Star]] with [[Valor Device]] and Oak Leaf,<br/>[[Purple Heart]]
|-
|'''[[Specialist (rank)|SPC]] [[James Cavaco]]''' || Killed on the Lost Convoy || Bronze Star with Valor Device
|-
|'''[[Sergeant|SGT]] [[Casey Joyce]]''' || Killed on the Lost Convoy || Bronze Star with Valor Device
|-
|'''[[Private First Class|PFC]] [[Richard "Alphabet" Kowalewski]]''' || Killed on the Lost Convoy || Bronze Star with Valor Device
|-
|'''SGT [[Dominick Pilla]]''' ||Killed on [[Jeff Struecker|Struecker's]] convoy || Bronze Star with Valor Device
|-
|'''SGT [[Lorenzo Ruiz (American)|Lorenzo Ruiz]]''' || Killed on the Lost Convoy || Bronze Star with Valor Device
|-
! colspan=3 | [[160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (United States)|160th SOAR (Nightstalkers)]]
|-
|'''SSG [[William Cleveland (US soldier)|William Cleveland]]''' || [[Crew chief]] on Super Six-Four-killed || Silver Star,<br/>Bronze Star, <br/>[[Air Medal]] with Valor Device
|-
|'''SSG [[Thomas Field (US soldier)|Thomas Field]]''' || Crew chief on Super Six-Four-killed || Silver Star,<br/>Bronze Star,<br/>Air Medal with Valor Device
|-
|'''[[Warrant Officer (United States)|CWO]] [[Raymond Frank]]''' || [[Copilot]] of Super Six-Four-killed || Silver Star,<br/>Air Medal with Valor Device
|-
|'''CWO [[Clifton "Elvis" Wolcott]]''' || [[Aviator|Pilot]] of Super Six-One and died in crash || [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]],<br/>Bronze Star,<br/>Air Medal with Valor Device
|-
|'''CWO [[Donovan Briley|Donovan "Bull" Briley]]''' || Copilot of Super Six-One and died in crash || Distinguished Flying Cross,<br/>Bronze Star,<br/>Air Medal with Valor Device
|-
! colspan=3 | [[10th Mountain Division (United States)|2nd Battalion 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division]]
|-
|'''SGT [[Cornell Houston]]''' || Killed on the rescue convoy || Bronze Star with Valor Device,<br/>[[De Fleury]] medal
|-
|'''PFC [[James Martin (American Soldier)|James Martin]]''' || Killed on the rescue convoy || Purple Heart
|-
|}
==See also==
* [[Battle of Mogadishu (2006)]]
* [[Battle of Mogadishu (2007)]]
* [[Black Hawk Down (book)|''Black Hawk Down'' (book)]]
* [[Black Hawk Down (film)|''Black Hawk Down'' (film)]]
* [[Fall of Mogadishu]]
* [[Operation Gothic Serpent]]
* [[Somali Civil War]]
==Notes==
<!--See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the <ref> and </ref> tags and the tag below -->
{{reflist}}
== References ==
* Bowden, Mark, ''Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War'', Atlantic Monthly Press (1999)
* Clarke, Walter, and Herbst, Jeffrey, editors, ''Learning from Somalia: The Lessons of Armed Humanitarian Intervention'', Westview Press (1997)
* Gardner, Judith and el Bushra, Judy, editors, ''Somalia - The Untold Story: The War Through the Eyes of Somali Women'', Pluto Press (2004)
* Prestowitz, Clyde, ''Rogue Nation: American Unilateralism and the Failure of Good Intentions'', Basic Books (2003)
* Sangvic, Roger, ''Battle of Mogadishu: Anatomy of a Failure'', School of Advanced Military Studies, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College (1998)
* Stevenson, Jonathan, ''Losing Mogadishu: Testing U.S. Policy in Somalia'', Naval Institute Press (1995)
* Stewart, Richard W., ''The United States Army in Somalia, 1992-1994'', US Army Center for Military History (2003)
*''Somalia: Good Intentions, Deadly Results'', VHS, produced by KR Video and ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' (1998)
==External links==
* [http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/foi/reading_room/778.pdf Review of the Circumstances Surrounding the Ranger Raid on October 3-4, 1993, in Mogadishu, Somalia (PDF Document)] US Senate Armed Services Committee Report, by the DOD.
* [http://www.un.org/Depts/DPKO/Missions/unosomi.htm United Nations Operation in Somalia I] A "Mission Backgrounder' prepared by the Department of Public Information, United Nations
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/1995/HAG.htm Somalia: Strategic Failures and Operational Successes] A 1995 thesis submitted to the faculty of the United States Marine Corps Command and Staff College
* [http://www.specialoperations.com/Operations/Restore_Hope/97-0364.pdf Critical Analysis of the Defeat of Task Force Ranger (PDF document)] Another thesis, prepared for the USAF Air Command and Staff College
* [http://inquirer.philly.com/packages/somalia/ Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War] - Featuring the text of the original articles, photos, and interviews with former soldiers involved in the battle.
* [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/ambush/ Ambush in Mogadishu] PBS Frontline report September 29, 1998 (Original broadcast date)
* [http://hotzone.yahoo.com/b//hotzone/blogs999 Cactus and Bitterness Grow Where American Chopper Was Downed] - An American journalist visits Mogadishu, 12 years after the battle.
* [http://www.nightstalkers.com/tfranger/memorial/default.html Task Force Ranger Memorial.] - Memorial to the fallen US Army Personnel
* [http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/general/articles/mogadishu.aspx Battle of Mogadishu] by Larry Parker
* [http://www.afa.org/magazine/june1994/0694gyros.asp Heroes at Mogadishu ''AIR FORCE Magazine'' July 1994] describing the actions of USAF pararescuemen and combat controllers during the battle
=== Former combatants' websites ===
* [http://www.bhd93.com Black Hawk Down '93] - A discussion forum which requires anonymous registration. Some thumbnail images.
* [http://www.nightstalkers.com NightStalkers.com: Operation Gothic Serpent] - with a memorial of American casualties (including a bio for each of them) and an article written by a former Ranger who served on the operation.
* [http://www.specialoperations.com/Operations/Restore_Hope/ SpecialOperations.com: Operation Restore Hope] - featuring a detailed explanation of the operation and the events of [[October 3]] [[1993]].
* [http://www.suasponte.com/m_somalia.htm SuaSponte.com - Ranger History: Somalia] - featuring a 41 page summary of the Battle of Mogadishu, the events that lead to it, and what could have contributed to the missions disaster.
* [http://www.ranger.org/rangerHistorySomalia.html U.S. Army Ranger Association - History: Somalia (Task Force Ranger)] - featuring the account by USARA and former NightStalkers that served in combat during the battle.
* [http://www.eccentricamerica.net/somalia EccentricAmerica.net/Somalia] - Photos taken by former medic and Battle of Mogadishu veteran Mark Jackson while stationed in Mogadishu, Somalia with the 10th Mountain Division from Aug - Dec 1993
{{coor title dms|2|03|09|N|45|19|29|E|region:SO_type:landmark}}
[[Category:Al-Qaeda]]
[[Category:Al-Qaeda activities]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1993|Battle of Mogadishu 1]]
[[Category:Battles involving Somalia|Mogadishu 1]]
[[Category:Battles involving the United States|Mogadishu 1]]
[[Category:Clinton Administration]]
[[Category:Military history of the United States 1900-1999]]
[[Category:United States Army Rangers]]
[[Category:Urban warfare|Mogadishu 1]]
[[Category:Mogadishu]]
[[Category:1993 in Somalia|Mogadishu, Battle of]]
[[da:Slaget i Mogadishu (1993)]]
[[de:Schlacht von Mogadischu]]
[[es:Batalla de Mogadiscio]]
[[fr:Bataille de Mogadiscio (1993)]]
[[ko:모가디슈 전투 (1993년)]]
[[id:Pertempuran Mogadishu]]
[[it:Battaglia di Mogadiscio]]
[[he:קרב מוגדישו]]
[[ja:モガディシュの戦闘]]
[[pl:Operacja w Mogadiszu]]
[[sr:Битка у Могадишу]]
[[fi:Mogadishun taistelu]]
[[sv:Slaget om Mogadishu]]
[[th:ยุทธภูมิโมกาดิชู (พ.ศ. 2536)]]
[[zh:摩加迪休之戰]]