Within six months, the US had withdrawn its forces from Somalia. Some 18 Americans and two UN soldiers were killed.Īt the time, the United States was leading a UN mission to end the civil war and famine in Somalia. In the ensuing battle, hundreds of Somalis were estimated to have died. Two US Black Hawk helicopters were shot down. But US forces met fierce resistance from Aideed's militia. Their aim was to capture key allies of the powerful Somali warlord, Gen Mohamed Farah Aideed.
In October 1993, elite American troops launched a disastrous raid in the Somali capital Mogadishu.
The images, broadcast around the world, outraged many. The sight of dead US soldiers being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu was a turning point in one of the United States' most high-profile interventions in Africa.
