SOMALIA 1993The Battle of Mogadishu,also referred to as Black Hawk Down was a battle that was part of Operation Gothic Serpent and was fought on October 3 and 4, 1993, in Mogadishu, Somalia. The assult force consisted of US Army Delta Force, Ranger teams, air elements of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, four Navy SEAL operators from SEAL Team Six, and members of the Air Force Pararescue/Air Force Combat Controller. During the operation, two U.S. UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters were shot down by 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. Eighteen American soldiers died and 73 were wounded.
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.
