"Black Hawk Down": 30 Years Later

How Somalis dragged the bodies of US troops through the streets of Mogadishu.

It was October of 1993. Thousands of miles away from the US was the war-torn nation of Somalia, where American troops were dispatched to keep the peace. Known as the Black Hawk Down incident, named after the Ridley Scott movie, the Battle of Mogadishu became the deadliest fighting the US Army has seen since the Vietnam War. 

In a mere matter of hours, the US had more casualties on its hands than it had suffered over the past several years. Somali warlords showered bullets and grenades at the American forces. The intense urban conflict culminated with the shutdown of two US Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. But despite this calamity, it was part of a mission that was a tactical success. Less than 100 American soldiers held off a hostile Somali force more than 10 times their size. 

Gulf War

1992 was a golden year in American history. Under the adept leadership of Republican President Ronald Reagan, the nation had emerged victorious in the Cold War without any direct confrontation with the Soviet Union. Even better, under Reagan’s successor, the former vice president George H.W. Bush, the United States led a multinational coalition to repel Saddam Hussein’s invasion into Kuwait. Under the Ba’athist dictator, Iraq boasted the fifth largest army in the world. 

The Gulf War had profound impact on the American psyche. Through their technological superiority, the US forces decisively won one of the most one-sided conflict in military history. This triumph wiped away the stain of the ill-fated Vietnam War. Now, it seemed like US interventions abroad could be successfully. 

Technological innovations, such as smart bombs, seemed to completely transform the nature of warfare. No longer did large numbers of troops have to engage in close combat. The machines would do it for them. Despite this popular perception, many American military figures warned against a blind faith in this new technology. But America’s political leaders were convinced that US interventions could achieved effortlessly. 

Somali crisis

Nowhere in the world demonstrated the horrors of war than the blood-stained nation of Somalia. Already plagued by drought and famine, Somalia erupted into a civil war in 1988. 

Factions rose up against the socialist regime of President Major General Mohamed Siad Barre. They overthrew the Marxist-Leninist dictator in 1991. But in the absence of Barre’s one-party state, the state of Somalia splintered into total anarchy. The rebel factions turned their arms against each other, competing for land and food supplies.  An already dire humanitarian crisis grew infinitely worse with the scourge of war.

Food became a weapon of war. Somali warlords, such as General Mohammad Farah Aidid, adopted a policy of starvation against his opponents and their families. About 300,000 people literally died of starvation in the first three months of 1992. The United Nations warned that as high as 1.5 million were on the verge of malnutrition. Another 3 million people fled the country’s violence. All of this happened in a country whose whole population was about 10 million. That is about the size of the single city of London in 2023. 

The Somali crisis provoked international outrage. The UN Security Council helped broker a ceasefire between Aidid and his rival, Ali Mahdi Muhammad. While both men agreed to stop fighting, they proved difficult to work with. Despite repeated efforts, international arbitration was not able to establish a solid peace and send humanitarian aid to starving civilians. The UN passed Resolution 751, which established a small peace-keeping force to monitor the ceasefire and move relief supplies through the country. It consisted of 50 peacekeepers, largely from African and Muslim nations, such as Egypt. 

Throughout the summer of 1992, it was becoming increasingly clear that the situation was growing worse. The country was at total war with itself. The supporters of Aidid and Muhammad splintered into even smaller warring factions. Many of these factions began attacking the UN humanitarian forces, which were not equipped to handle such intense combat. 

Sensing weakness in the UN forces, Aidid began to openly defy international agreements. He demanded the withdrawal of UN forces, and announced that any further involvement would be perceived as hostile action. The US government, led by President Bush, was too bogged down by the crisis in the Balkans and Bosnia to adequately respond to the Somali situation. There was little support among the American populace for a full-scale military intervention. 

Operation Restore Hope

Colin Powell, the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staffs, had been one of the architects of America’s victory against Saddam Hussein. He recommended a massive but short intervention in Somalia, led by the US rather than the UN. Powell wanted to deliver the relief supplies, and prevent a total collapse of the UN mission in Somalia. By this point, the UN peacekeepers were effectively under siege. Powell believed that such a US intervention would allow the UN enough time to assemble a stronger, more capable peacekeeping force. President Bush agreed, seeing this as a low-risk option to assist Somalia and enforce the rules of the UNSC. The president was also influenced by the upcoming election, fearing that a Somali disaster would undermine his electoral chances. 

In December of 1992, the UNSC drafted another resolution, called Resolution 794. The UN gave its formal approval to the mission on December 3. It was called Operation Restore Hope. It began a few days later, on December 8. The operation was led by the US Marine Corps First Marine Expeditionary Force. It was supplied by a multinational coalition of troops, under the direction of the United Task Force, or UNITAF. The American-led intervention included help from 23 nations, including Australia, Canada, France, Morocco, and Pakistan. Troop numbers swelled to 30,000. Other personnel came from 49 international relief agencies. Overall command was given to Marine Lieutenant General Robert B. Johnston. 

In the early hours of December 9, 1992, Special Forces learned in Somalia, ahead of the primary force of 1,300 Marines. The Marines were flown in over the beach, and into Mogadishu Airport. The local Somalis greeted the US forces as liberators. Warlords knew they were incapable of facing off against the mighty firepower of the US expedition, so many of them surrendered immediately. They either stepped down, or else agreed to cooperate. Right away, it was already a massive success. 

Back at home, the American public felt another effortless victory had been won. Having completed the mission, they called for a withdrawal of UNITAF. Sustained involvement always ran the risk of complications, which would force America to double down on its commitment there. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened. 

With the US-led Coalition still in Somalia, several small-scale skirmishes continued to rage on. American troops began to make mistakes. One soldier made a fatal mistake when he shot a Somali boy. The child was holding a box, but the American thought it was a bomb. Another US troop shot a man who had stolen his sunglasses. Despite the tense situation, it seemed like Somalia was stable enough to declare victory. In late April, the mission began its withdrawal process. A new UN force was introduced into the country. On May 4, Restore Hope was formally finished. 

Hunt for Aidid

The transition of power was anything but orderly. Days after Restore Hope had ended, the new UN force was still slowly pouring into Somalia. While the primitive Somali warlords begrudgingly respected the mighty US Army, they saw the UN forces as weak and flimsy in their commitment. In the weeks and months after Restore Hope, the Somali militants waged an even more bloody campaign against the peacekeepers. All of this chaos was happening, even though the US still had about 100 troops on the ground, plus a vibrant logistics support network. 

Violence against the peacemakers reached their ghastly climax on June 5, 1993. Members of the Somali National Alliance, chaired by Aidid, ambushed a Pakistani peacekeeping force. 24 Pakistanis were killed, and another 44 were injured. 

The next day, the UNSC passed Resolution 837. It authorized a more aggressive stance against Aidid. UN troops went on patrols in their armored vehicles throughout Mogadishu. The US sent over Lockheed AC-130 gunships to provide heavy fire support, in case Aidid launched another ambush. The AC-130s led a fierce campaign against Aidid. They targeted the Somali warlord’s storage facilities and his propaganda radio station. 

Aidid soon became the most wanted man in Somalia. A pariah to the international community, a reward was posted for $25,000. US Task Force 325 Aviation was given the job of arresting Aidid. Despite several promising leads, Aidid managed to evade capture. 

Task Force Ranger

The Somali warlord wrecked his revenge by detonating a bomb under a military police vehicle in Mogadishu on August 8, 1993. Four members of Parliament were killed. In response, Leslie Aspin, the Secretary of Defense of president-elect Bill Clinton, organized a Joint Special Operations Task Force to deal with Aidid. It was named Task Force Ranger, and included some of America’s most elite fighting personnel. It was further supported by Special Forces helicopters. This was placed under the overall command of General Joseph P. Hoar. 

From August to September of 1993, Task Force Ranger began raids on the six safe houses associated with Aidid and his supporters. All of them were successful, except one. The failed raid was against an unregistered UN building, and UN workers were temporarily detained by accident. 

Aidid remained elusive, but the Task Force managed to knock out one of his top lieutenants. The snatch-and-grab operation took place near a hospital in Mogadishu. At first, it went smoothly. But then the US helicopters involved in the operation suddenly found themselves being fired at by rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs for short). RPGs are normally used against heavy armor and protective position. These are very powerful weapons. The thin-skinned American aircraft were not match. Like a trapped animal, Aidid’s men lashed out at the US and its UN allies. His Somali troops continued to mount ambushes and plant bombs. But he could not avoid capture forever. 

Four days after Aidid’s capture, something terrible happened. It was the early hours of September 25, 1993. An American Black Hawk helicopter was shot down by Somali RPGs. One of the grenades struck the aircraft, igniting the onboard fuel and killing three soldiers. Their names were Matthew K. Anderson, Eugene Williams, Ferdinand C. Richardson. Although the helicopter managed to reach friendly lines, it was already too late. The aircraft cratered into a nearby building before slamming into the street. 

The pilots survived, but were taken hostage by the Somalis. To retrieve them, the US quickly sent a truck. But it was a set-up. The relief troops found themselves surrounded by Somali militants, and a fierce gunfight followed. US troops called in air support from helicopters. Eventually, the American forces managed to save the hostages and retreat. 

“Black Hawk Down”

As October dawned, the US targeted two more of Aidid’s senior commanders. They were hiding at the so-called “Black Sea” slum district of Bakara market, near the Olympic Hotel. The soldiers knew it would be the toughest operation to date. 160 troops arrived in 19 helicopters and 12 grand vehicles. The request for armored vehicles was denied. 

The operation began on October 3. The Sikorsky MH-60 Black Hawks, supported by MH-6 Little Birds, lifted off from their base. Within minutes, the helicopters arrived on the scene. Blocking units quickly established a perimeter, while the assault team stormed into the stronghold. One of the Rangers, a man named Todd Blackburn, missed his rope. He fell down from the helicopter to the street 70 feet below. This was the first casualty. 

Almost immediately, both US teams came under sustained heavy fire. The Americans managed to detain 42 enemies, and raced them to their getaway trucks. Suddenly, the area was swarmed with hostile Somalis, including women and children, who fired relentlessly on the US forces. One truck was demolished by an RPG, and had to be abandoned en route. During the evacuation, Sergeant Dominic Pilla was shot dead. He was the first American fatality of the day. This was worsened by confusion over who should signal the start of the withdrawal, which cost precious minutes. Just when things couldn’t get any worse, the overhead US aircraft were assailed by the Somalis. 

One of the MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, named Super 61, which was piloted by Cliff “Elvis” Wolcott, was struck by an RPG-7 that threw the aircraft into an uncontrollable spin. It crashed down against the side of a nearby building. Both Wolcott and his co-pilot were killed in the crash. Two crew members were badly injured. 

After this ill-fated shutdown, ground forces converged at the destroyed helicopter’s position. An MH-6 Little Bird landed next to it, ready to evacuate the casualties. The pilot assisted the survivors, pulling two of the wounded troops into the Little Bird. The co-pilot provided protective fire from the cockpit. Under intense ground fire, the MH-6 was forced to abruptly leave without the crew and the survivors. Part of the blocking units reached the scene, followed by a search-and-rescue Black Hawk. The helicopter was hit, but the pilots managed to maintain control long enough to make an emergency landing. Brutal warfare broke out soon after, causing even more US casualties. 

Another Black Hawk, called Super 64, which was piloted by Michael Durant, was hit by an RPG. At first, he kept control of the aircraft, but the rotor broke entirely and he spun into an uncontrollable crash. The helicopter landed on several civilians on the ground, which only incited more jihad from the Somalis against the American troops. Aidid’s men broadcasted their anti-American messaging from the loud speakers, calling upon the Somalis to defend their faith and their homes. Durant, although seriously injured, managed to survive the crash. 

Bodies in the streets

Two Delta snipers converged on the scene, providing last-ditch relief to any survivors. Their names were Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart. They were inserted into the site by Black Hawk Super 62. They asked twice to be put in the area, but were twice denied. Finally, their third request was approved after more Somalis led an ambush. After 10 minutes of Super 62 giving fire support, an RPG slammed into the cockpit and ripped right through the engine. The co-pilot was knocked unconscious. With yet another Black Hawk down, Gordon and Shughart were left without any protection. They were overran by swarms of Somalis. 

The brave American soldiers were brutally beaten to death by a crowd of Somali savages. Their bodies were stripped, mutilated, and carried away as trophies. The sole survivor, Durant, was taken as a hostage by Yusuf Dahir Mo’alim. 

Meanwhile, back at the first crash site, US soldiers came to the uneasy realization that they had to bunker down for the night in a hostile city determined to murder them. They did not have the equipment they needed for night fighting. Supplies, including night vision googles, were running desperately low. Super 6-6 made a daring effort to drop in fresh water and ammunition, and to evacuate wounded US troops. But the aircraft was assaulted by Somali gunfire, and forced into a speedy retreat. 

Back at the airport, the remnants of Task Force Ranger organized themselves to ameliorate the situation. They regrouped, aided by Malaysian and Pakistani forces. Aidid summoned his men against the Coalition. The first crash site had to be abandoned, forcing many US troops to retreat on foot, using vehicles as cover. This dire odyssey became known as the “Mogadishu Mile.” The Americans were evacuated at a nearby stadium. 

Grisly images of Somalis dragging the bodies of the US troops through the streets were seared into the eyes of billions around the world. 

American outrage

Back in America, the outcry was immediate. The US public was outraged that 18 of their troops died in the night. A 19th person died from his wounds two days later. Another 73 suffered wounds of varying degrees. It was the deadliest firefight involving US troops since Vietnam. 

Worse still, news broke that Durant was still being held hostage somewhere in Mogadishu. US helicopters swarmed through the city. On loudspeakers, they declared their intention to never leave him behind. They played music from AC/DC, his favorite band. He was kept prisoner for 11 days, until his release was secured via the Red Cross. He later returned to service, and continued to fly until 2001, when he retired and entered politics. 

After the Battle of Mogadishu, President Clinton ordered an end to all operations to hunt down Aidid. Soon after, it was announced that US forces would evacuate Somalia by March of 1994. Defense Secretary Aspin found himself on the receiving end of vociferous criticism for his failure to provide armored vehicles. 

On February 4, 1994, the UN passed Resolution 897. It announced a conclusion to the UN’s mission in Somalia by March of 1995. UN troops withdrew. Obliging a request from the UN on December 16, 1994, the US launched Operation United Shield. On February 7, 1995, a US-led Coalition fleet arrived to evacuate the UN forces. This was completed by March 6 of that year. 

After the withdrawal of the Western powers, Aidid declared himself the president of Somalia on June 15, 1995. But he was assassinated just 14 months later, leaving behind a country marred by war and poverty. 

For their heroic actions, Gordon and Shughart were posthumously given the Medal of Honor, the first to be awarded since the Vietnam War. Two Navy ships have been named in their honor. 

Legacy

The ill-fated intervention in Somalia provided many lessons to America’s armed forces. It showed how, despite having technological superiority, US troops were far from impervious from radically new types of warfare. The tenacity and creativity of insurgent guerrillas, as well as the intense difficulty of urban warfare, would be lessons used later on in the War on Terror ten years later. By the time US troops set foot in Afghanistan and Iraq, many of the younger officers from the 1990s had risen through the ranks—bringing their indispensable experiences from Somalia with them. 

Today, 30 years later, the Battle of Mogadishu remains a sore spot in American consciousness. But it is also a warning against hasty interventions in places we do not fully understand. And it is a valuable case study in counter-insurgency, which is the future of warfare in the 21st century. 

Learn More