On 3-4 October 1993, the Battle of Mogadishu, codenamed Operation Gothic Serpent, was fought between the United States under William Garrison against the Somalis under Mohamed Farrah Aidid during the Somali Civil War.
Why did it happen?
Following the overthrow of President Siad Barre in 1991, Somalia descended into civil war with rival warlords fighting for control of the country. The most powerful warlord, Mohamed Farrah Aidid, controlled Mogadishu, and by 1992, 200,000 Somalis had died from malnutrition caused by the civil war and famine. At that point, the United Nations intervened to provide food aid but eventually turned towards creating a democratic government to end the civil war. However, on 5 June 1993, 24 Pakistani soldiers were ambushed and killed by Aidid’s forces, and the UN sought to capture him. On 12 July, US forces in Mogadishu launched a raid on the Abdi House, killing members of Aidid’s clan, the Habr Gidr. In response, Aidid began targeting American personnel, prompting US President Bill Clinton to send Army Rangers to capture Aidid. Codenamed Operation Gothic Serpent, the US planned to arrest two of Aidid’s senior lieutenants during a meeting in Mogadishu on 3 October.
Who was involved?
The US forces at Mogadishu numbered 180 infantry, 12 trucks, 16 helicopters, 8 tanks and 32 APCs. The US infantry comprised units from Delta Force and Task Force Rangers divided into four chalks of 15 soldiers each. The vehicles comprised 9 Humvees and 3 cargo trucks containing an additional 56 soldiers, while the helicopters comprised MH-6 Little Birds and MH-60 Black Hawks. The United Nations supplied the tanks and APCs at Mogadishu Stadium, where the Pakistani HQ was also located. The US plan at Mogadishu was to land American Rangers via helicopters to capture Aidid and his advisors before transporting them back to base via a convoy of trucks. The operation was planned to last only thirty minutes. The Somali forces at Mogadishu numbered 3,000 militia and 10,000 civilians. Because he had been educated in Italy and Russia, Aidid had studied the military tactics employed by the Afghans during the Soviet-Afghan War (1979-1989). He planned to draw the Americans deep into the city, swarm the area with militia armed with AK-47s and RPGs, bring down several helicopters and converge militia and civilians around the crash site to overrun them. In addition, his forces planned to use the city’s women and children as human shields against the American Rangers during the battle.
What happened?
At 3.42pm on 3 October, US forces landed from helicopters after flying from Mogadishu airport and secured the Olympic Hotel with 24 prisoners captured after a short firefight. At the same time, a column of Humvees and trucks drove from New Port to extract the prisoners but became delayed by roadblocks and small arms fire from Somali militia and civilians. At 4.20pm, a Black Hawk helicopter was shot down by Somali militia armed with RPGs, followed by a second helicopter at 4.41pm. Large crowds of Somali civilians and militia approached both crash sites, pinning down US forces sent to rescue the pilots. At 4.55pm, two US soldiers, Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart, attempted to rescue the helicopter pilot, Mike Durant, only to be killed by the Somalis and Durant captured. The US soldiers at the first crash site sheltered in nearby buildings until morning. At 1.55am on 4 October, a large force of United Nations tanks and APCs fought their way through Mogadishu to the first crash site and extracted most of the survivors by 5.42am. The remaining US soldiers who couldn’t fit into the vehicles followed the convoy back to the Pakistani HQ, reaching it by 6.30am. The US forces suffered 18 killed, 73 wounded, and 1 captured throughout the battle, while Somali losses numbered 800 killed or wounded and 24 captured.
What changed as a result?
The Battle of Mogadishu was a tactical US victory and a strategic Somali victory. In the aftermath of the battle, the bodies of dead American soldiers were dragged through the streets of the city by the Somalis, which was broadcast on television in the United States and caused public outcry. In response, President Bill Clinton withdrew the remaining US forces from Somalia two weeks later, followed by the withdrawal of the United Nations in 1995. The battle effectively discouraged further US military interventions until 2001, when it invaded Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Somalia descended back into civil war, and in 1996, Mohammed Farrah Aidid was killed by gunmen loyal to his former colleague, Osman Atto. In 2006, Ethiopia invaded and occupied Mogadishu due to the fear of a jihadist-controlled neighbouring state on its border. US Delta forces backed this occupation, and in 2007, the United Nations began peacekeeping operations, ousting terrorist group Al-Shabaab from Mogadishu into central and southern Somalia. As of October 2023, Somalia is governed by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
Bibliography
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Grant, R.G. 1001 Battles That Changed the Course of History. London, Cassell Illustrated, 2011.
Karousos, Manos. “The Battle of Mogadishu (1993).” Black Past. Last revised July 4, 2022. www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/events-global-african-history/the-battle-of-mogadishu-1993/
McNab, Chris. The World’s Worst Military Disasters. London, Amber Books, 2005.
Neville, Leigh. Day of the Rangers: The Battle of Mogadishu 25 Years On. Oxford, Osprey Publishing, 2018.
The Operations Room. “Black Hawk Down - The Battle of Mogadishu 1993, Part 1 – Animated.” YouTube video, 22:45. May 30, 2021. www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ApfDyeP7Zk
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