Operation Gothic Serpent
Encyclopedia
Operation Gothic Serpent was a military operation
conducted by special operations forces
of the United States with the primary mission of capturing warlord
Mohamed Farrah Aidid
. The operation took place in Somalia
, Africa from August to October 1993 and was supervised by the Joint Special Operations Command.
As part of the operation, the soldiers were deployed in a mission
to arrest two of Aidid's lieutenants. The result of that mission – executed under the command of Gothic Serpent – became known as the Battle of Mogadishu, or "The Battle of the Black Sea" to those who fought in it.
as it was ruled by a number of warlord
s. Over the next several months, the situation deteriorated
In January 1993 newly elected President Bill Clinton
took office.
In May 1993, all the parties involved in the civil war agreed to a disarmament conference proposed by Mohamed Farrah Aidid
, the leading Somali warlord. The Somali National Alliance
had been formed in June 1992. This alliance consisted of warlords across the country, operating under the authority of Aidid, who declared himself President of Somalia. In addition to the alliance, a great number Somali civilians resented the international forces, leading many, including women and children, to take up arms and actively resist U.S. forces during fighting in Mogadishu. On 5 June 1993, one of the deadliest attacks on U.N. forces in Somalia occurred, 24 Pakistan
i soldiers in the UN force were killed in an ambush in an area of Mogadishu
, controlled by Aidid.
Any hope of a peaceful resolution of the conflict quickly vanished. The next day, the United Nations Security Council
issued Resolution 837
calling for the arrest and trial of those responsible for the ambush. US warplanes and UN troops began a concentrated attack on Aidid's stronghold. Aidid remained defiant, and the violence between Somalis and UN troops escalated.
On 22 August, Task Force Ranger was deployed to Somalia under the command of Major General William F. Garrison
, commander of JSOC at the time. The force consisted of:
and construction trailers
under primitive conditions. The force lacked on-site potable water and was subject to frequent mortar
fire.
During the month of September, the force conducted several successful missions to arrest sympathizers of Aidid and to confiscate arms caches. The aircraft also made frequent flights over the city to desensitize the public to the presence of military aircraft and to familiarize themselves with the narrow streets and alleys of the city (see PSYOPs).
from an MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, due to a mistake made by the pilot. He then fell 70 feet to the street below, badly injuring himself.
The two Somali militia leaders were quickly arrested. The prisoners and the injured Ranger were loaded on a convoy of ground vehicles. However, armed Somali militia and civilians, some of them women and children, converged on the target area from all over the city. Sergeant Dominick Pilla and a Somali fighter spotted each other and fired at the same time. Pilla and the Somali fighter were both killed. The commanders of the operation were stunned to hear that a soldier had been killed, as they expected no casualties during the operation. During the first hours of the battle, the MH-60 Black Hawk, Super Six One[piloted by Cliff Wolcott], was shot down by a Somali fighter using a rocket-propelled grenade. Both of the pilots were killed, but the crew survived the crash landing.
Later another Black Hawk, Super Six Four, was shot down by RPG fired from the ground. This time no rescue team was immediately available, and the small surviving crew, including one of the pilots, Michael Durant
, could not move. Two Delta snipers (Randy Shughart
and Gary Gordon
) provided sniper cover from a helicopter, and volunteered repeatedly to try to secure the crash site. They were given permission on their fourth try, knowing full well it would probably cost them their lives.
When the Delta team arrived, they attempted to secure the site. One of the Delta operators was killed (Gary Gordon), leaving only Durant and SFC Shughart. Eventually, after holding off the Somalis and killing more than 25 of them, the second Delta operator (Randy Shughart) was killed and took the pilot Durant hostage after beating him violently.
Meanwhile, the remaining Rangers and Delta Force troops fought their way to the first crash site, where they found the crew. They soon found themselves surrounded by Somali Habr Gidr militia. The Somali commander, Colonel Sharif Hassan Giumale decided to eliminate the troops with mortar fire, and Somali militia prepared to bombard the besieged Americans with 60mm mortars. However, Colonel Giumale called off the mortar strike after information of possible civilian hostages arose. Repeated attempts by the Somalis to overrun American positions were beaten back with heavy small arms fire accompanied by strafing and rocket fire from helicopters. A rescue convoy made up of American, Malaysian, and Pakistani forces was organized. In heavy fighting with the Somalis, the rescue convoy broke through the encirclement and rescued the besieged forces.
The battle turned out to be the most intensive close combat
that US troops had engaged in since the Vietnam War
. In the end, two MH-60 Black Hawks were shot down (as well as one more seriously damaged) and 18 US soldiers were killed along with a Malaysian soldier on the rescue convoy. Estimates of Somali dead are around 1,000 Somali Militiamen killed during the battle. The Delta Force Snipers SFC Randall Shughart and MSG Gary Gordon
were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor
for their efforts. The soldiers accomplished their mission of capturing Adid's associates.
resigned his post late in 1993. He was specifically blamed for denying the US Army permission to have its own armor units in place in Somalia, units which might have been able to break through to the trapped soldiers earlier in the battle. US political leaders felt it would be bad for the peacekeeping image of the mission if tanks were in country.
Osama bin Laden
, who was then in Sudan
, cited this operation, in particular US withdrawal, as an example of American weakness and vulnerability to an attack.
video game Delta Force: Black Hawk Down
Military operation
Military operation is the coordinated military actions of a state in response to a developing situation. These actions are designed as a military plan to resolve the situation in the state's favor. Operations may be of combat or non-combat types, and are referred to by a code name for the purpose...
conducted by special operations forces
United States Special Operations Forces
United States Special Operations Forces under United States Special Operations Command are active and reserve component forces of U.S. Military...
of the United States with the primary mission of capturing warlord
Warlord
A warlord is a person with power who has both military and civil control over a subnational area due to armed forces loyal to the warlord and not to a central authority. The term can also mean one who espouses the ideal that war is necessary, and has the means and authority to engage in war...
Mohamed Farrah Aidid
Mohamed Farrah Aidid
General Mohamed Ali Farrah Aidid was a controversial Somali military leader, often described as a warlord. A former general and diplomat, he was the chairman of the United Somali Congress and later led the Somali National Alliance...
. The operation took place in Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
, Africa from August to October 1993 and was supervised by the Joint Special Operations Command.
As part of the operation, the soldiers were deployed in a mission
Military operation
Military operation is the coordinated military actions of a state in response to a developing situation. These actions are designed as a military plan to resolve the situation in the state's favor. Operations may be of combat or non-combat types, and are referred to by a code name for the purpose...
to arrest two of Aidid's lieutenants. The result of that mission – executed under the command of Gothic Serpent – became known as the Battle of Mogadishu, or "The Battle of the Black Sea" to those who fought in it.
Background
In December 1992, President George H.W. Bush ordered the U.S. Armed Forces to join the UN in a joint operation known as Operation Restore Hope, with the primary mission of restoring order in Somalia. The country was wracked by civil war and a severe famineFamine
A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including crop failure, overpopulation, or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompanied or followed by regional malnutrition, starvation, epidemic, and increased mortality. Every continent in the world has...
as it was ruled by a number of warlord
Warlord
A warlord is a person with power who has both military and civil control over a subnational area due to armed forces loyal to the warlord and not to a central authority. The term can also mean one who espouses the ideal that war is necessary, and has the means and authority to engage in war...
s. Over the next several months, the situation deteriorated
In January 1993 newly elected President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
took office.
In May 1993, all the parties involved in the civil war agreed to a disarmament conference proposed by Mohamed Farrah Aidid
Mohamed Farrah Aidid
General Mohamed Ali Farrah Aidid was a controversial Somali military leader, often described as a warlord. A former general and diplomat, he was the chairman of the United Somali Congress and later led the Somali National Alliance...
, the leading Somali warlord. The Somali National Alliance
Somali National Alliance
The Somali National Alliance was a political alliance formed in June, 1992 with Mohamed Farrah Aidid as its head. Its constituents included Aidid's breakaway United Somali Congress faction, the Somali Patriotic Movement and other southern factions. They were one faction in the Somali Civil War...
had been formed in June 1992. This alliance consisted of warlords across the country, operating under the authority of Aidid, who declared himself President of Somalia. In addition to the alliance, a great number Somali civilians resented the international forces, leading many, including women and children, to take up arms and actively resist U.S. forces during fighting in Mogadishu. On 5 June 1993, one of the deadliest attacks on U.N. forces in Somalia occurred, 24 Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i soldiers in the UN force were killed in an ambush in an area of Mogadishu
Mogadishu
Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
, controlled by Aidid.
Any hope of a peaceful resolution of the conflict quickly vanished. The next day, the United Nations Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
issued Resolution 837
United Nations Security Council Resolution 837
United Nations Security Council Resolution 837, adopted unanimously on June 6, 1993, after reaffirming resolutions 733 , 746 , 751 , 767 , 775 , 794 and 814 , the Council condemned the attacks on the United Nations Operation in Somalia II in which 24 Pakistani troops deployed in the Unified Task...
calling for the arrest and trial of those responsible for the ambush. US warplanes and UN troops began a concentrated attack on Aidid's stronghold. Aidid remained defiant, and the violence between Somalis and UN troops escalated.
On 22 August, Task Force Ranger was deployed to Somalia under the command of Major General William F. Garrison
William F. Garrison
William F. Garrison is a retired Major General of the United States Army who was the commander of Operation Gothic Serpent, the military operation launched in 1993 to capture Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid...
, commander of JSOC at the time. The force consisted of:
- B Company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment75th Ranger Regiment (United States)The 75th Ranger Regiment , also known as Rangers, is a Special Operations light infantry unit of the United States Army. The Regiment is headquartered in Fort Benning, Georgia with battalions in Fort Benning, Hunter Army Airfield and Joint Base Lewis-McChord...
- C Squadron, 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-DeltaDelta Force1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense...
(1st SFOD-D) - A deployment package of 16 helicopters and personnel from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (160th SOAR), which included MH-60 Black Hawks and AH/MH-6 Little BirdsMH-6 Little BirdThe MH-6 Little Bird , and its attack variant AH-6, are light helicopters used for special operations in the United States Army. Originally based on a modified OH-6A, it was later based on the MD 500E, with a single five-bladed main rotor...
. - Navy SEALsUnited States Navy SEALsThe United States Navy's Sea, Air and Land Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's principal special operations force and a part of the Naval Special Warfare Command as well as the maritime component of the United States Special Operations Command.The acronym is derived from their...
from the Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU) - Air Force Pararescuemen and Combat ControllersCombat Control TeamUnited States Air Force Combat Controllers are ground combat forces specialized in a traditional pathfinder role while having a heavy emphasis on simultaneous air traffic control, fire support and command, control, and communications in covert or austere environments...
from the 24th Special Tactics Squadron.
General situation
In Mogadishu, the task force occupied an old hangarHangar
A hangar is a closed structure to hold aircraft or spacecraft in protective storage. Most hangars are built of metal, but other materials such as wood and concrete are also sometimes used...
and construction trailers
Trailer (vehicle)
A trailer is generally an unpowered vehicle pulled by a powered vehicle. Commonly, the term trailer refers to such vehicles used for transport of goods and materials....
under primitive conditions. The force lacked on-site potable water and was subject to frequent mortar
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
fire.
During the month of September, the force conducted several successful missions to arrest sympathizers of Aidid and to confiscate arms caches. The aircraft also made frequent flights over the city to desensitize the public to the presence of military aircraft and to familiarize themselves with the narrow streets and alleys of the city (see PSYOPs).
Battle of Mogadishu
On the afternoon of 3 October 1993, informed that two leaders of Aidid's clan were at a residence in central Mogadishu, the task force sent 19 aircraft, 12 vehicles, and 160 men to arrest them. During the mission, Private Todd Blackburn (who, contrary to the Black Hawk Down (film), arrived in Somalia at the same time as the rest of the 75th Ranger Regiment) missed the rope while fast-ropingFast-roping
Fast-roping, sometimes known as Fast Rope Insertion Extraction System , is a technique for descending a thick rope. It is useful for deploying troops from a helicopter in places where the helicopter itself cannot touch down. First developed by the British with UK rope manufacturer Marlow Ropes,...
from an MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, due to a mistake made by the pilot. He then fell 70 feet to the street below, badly injuring himself.
The two Somali militia leaders were quickly arrested. The prisoners and the injured Ranger were loaded on a convoy of ground vehicles. However, armed Somali militia and civilians, some of them women and children, converged on the target area from all over the city. Sergeant Dominick Pilla and a Somali fighter spotted each other and fired at the same time. Pilla and the Somali fighter were both killed. The commanders of the operation were stunned to hear that a soldier had been killed, as they expected no casualties during the operation. During the first hours of the battle, the MH-60 Black Hawk, Super Six One[piloted by Cliff Wolcott], was shot down by a Somali fighter using a rocket-propelled grenade. Both of the pilots were killed, but the crew survived the crash landing.
Later another Black Hawk, Super Six Four, was shot down by RPG fired from the ground. This time no rescue team was immediately available, and the small surviving crew, including one of the pilots, Michael Durant
Michael Durant
Michael J. "Mike" Durant is an American pilot and author who was held prisoner for eleven days in 1993 after a raid in Mogadishu, Somalia. He was a member of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment as a Chief Warrant Officer 3...
, could not move. Two Delta snipers (Randy Shughart
Randy Shughart
Sergeant First Class Randall David Shughart was a soldier in the United States Army special operations unit, the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta , or "Delta Force." Shughart posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Mogadishu in October...
and Gary Gordon
Gary Gordon
Master Sergeant Gary Ivan Gordon is a posthumous recipient of the Medal of Honor. At the time of his death, he was a non-commissioned officer in the United States Army's premiere special operations unit, the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta , or "Delta Force." Together with Sergeant...
) provided sniper cover from a helicopter, and volunteered repeatedly to try to secure the crash site. They were given permission on their fourth try, knowing full well it would probably cost them their lives.
When the Delta team arrived, they attempted to secure the site. One of the Delta operators was killed (Gary Gordon), leaving only Durant and SFC Shughart. Eventually, after holding off the Somalis and killing more than 25 of them, the second Delta operator (Randy Shughart) was killed and took the pilot Durant hostage after beating him violently.
Meanwhile, the remaining Rangers and Delta Force troops fought their way to the first crash site, where they found the crew. They soon found themselves surrounded by Somali Habr Gidr militia. The Somali commander, Colonel Sharif Hassan Giumale decided to eliminate the troops with mortar fire, and Somali militia prepared to bombard the besieged Americans with 60mm mortars. However, Colonel Giumale called off the mortar strike after information of possible civilian hostages arose. Repeated attempts by the Somalis to overrun American positions were beaten back with heavy small arms fire accompanied by strafing and rocket fire from helicopters. A rescue convoy made up of American, Malaysian, and Pakistani forces was organized. In heavy fighting with the Somalis, the rescue convoy broke through the encirclement and rescued the besieged forces.
The battle turned out to be the most intensive close combat
Close quarters battle
Close quarters combat or close quarters battle is a type of fighting in which small units engage the enemy with personal weapons at very short range, potentially to the point of hand-to-hand combat or fighting with hand weapons such as swords or knives...
that US troops had engaged in since the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. In the end, two MH-60 Black Hawks were shot down (as well as one more seriously damaged) and 18 US soldiers were killed along with a Malaysian soldier on the rescue convoy. Estimates of Somali dead are around 1,000 Somali Militiamen killed during the battle. The Delta Force Snipers SFC Randall Shughart and MSG Gary Gordon
Gary Gordon
Master Sergeant Gary Ivan Gordon is a posthumous recipient of the Medal of Honor. At the time of his death, he was a non-commissioned officer in the United States Army's premiere special operations unit, the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta , or "Delta Force." Together with Sergeant...
were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
for their efforts. The soldiers accomplished their mission of capturing Adid's associates.
6 October mortar attack
Two days after the battle ended, Somali militia launched a mortar strike on a US compound and SFC Matt Rierson (1st SFOD-D), was killed.US withdrawal
Following the Battle of Mogadishu, President Clinton ordered that additional troops be added to protect U.S. soldiers and aid in withdrawal. All military actions were ceased on 6 October, except in cases of self-defense. Clinton called for a full withdrawal by 31 March 1994. Conforming to this request, most troops were out of the country by 25 March 1994. A few hundred Marines remained off-shore, but were completely removed from the area by March 1995. The UN withdrew as well.Results
Secretary of Defense Les AspinLes Aspin
Leslie "Les" Aspin, Jr. was a United States Representative from 1971 to 1993, and the United States Secretary of Defense under President Bill Clinton from January 21, 1993 to February 3, 1994.-Early life:...
resigned his post late in 1993. He was specifically blamed for denying the US Army permission to have its own armor units in place in Somalia, units which might have been able to break through to the trapped soldiers earlier in the battle. US political leaders felt it would be bad for the peacekeeping image of the mission if tanks were in country.
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
, who was then in Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, cited this operation, in particular US withdrawal, as an example of American weakness and vulnerability to an attack.
Dramatizations
The battle is portrayed in the book Black Hawk Down, as well as the film of the same name, and the NovalogicNovaLogic
NovaLogic is a software developer and publisher established in 1985 and based in Calabasas, California. The company was founded by current CEO John A. Garcia....
video game Delta Force: Black Hawk Down