Operation Gothic Serpent

Operation Gothic Serpent
Part of the Somali Civil War
Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment in Somalia, 1993.
Date August 22, 1993 - October 13, 1993 Location Mogadishu, Somalia, Africa Result Somali National Alliance strategic victory US withdraw 25 March 1995 UN withdraw 3 March 1995
Belligerents
United States Malaysia Pakistan	Somalia
Commanders
Maj. Gen. William F. Garrison	General Mohamed Farrah Aidid
Strength
600+	Around 20,000+
Casualties and losses
20 killed 91 wounded 1 captured	1,000 killed 3,000-4,000 wounded 2 captured

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.

The battle is portrayed in the book Black Hawk Down, as well as the film of the same name.

Background

In December of 1992, President George H.W. Bush ordered the U.S. armed forces to join the United Nations 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 famine as it was ruled by a number of warlords. 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 Adid, 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 June 5, 1993, one of the deadliest attacks on U.N. forces in Somalia occurred. 24 Pakistani 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 August 22, Task Force Ranger was deployed to Somalia under the command of Maj. General William F. Garrison, commander of JSOC at the time. The force consisted of:

• Company B (Bravo), 3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment (B/3/75)
• C Squadron from the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (Delta Force) (1st SFOD-D)
• A deployment package of 16 helicopters and personnel from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Nightstalkers) (160th SOAR), which included MH-60 Black Hawks and AH/MH-6 Little Birds.
• Navy SEALs from Naval Special Warfare Development Group
• Air Force Pararescuemen and Combat Controllers from 24th Special Tactics Squadron.^[1]

General situation

In Mogadishu, the task force occupied an old hangar and construction trailers under primitive conditions. The force even 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).

The Battle of Mogadishu

On the afternoon of October 3, 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 film, arrived in Somalia at the same time as the rest of the 75th) missed the rope while fast-roping 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 commaders 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, was shot down by a Somali militiaman 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, sat tight. Two Delta snipers provided sniper cover from a helicopter, and volunteered repeatedly to try to secure the crash site. They were finally given permission, knowing full well it would probably cost them their lives.

When the Delta team of two arrived, they attempted to secure the site. One of the Delta operators was killed, leaving only the pilot and one Delta operator. Eventually, after holding off the Somalis and most likely killing many, the second Delta operator was killed and the pilot remained sitting peacefully, waiting to be killed. The militia, however, were surprised to find the pilot on the other side of the helicopter and took him 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.

6 October Mortar Attack

Two days after the battle ended, Somali militia launched a mortar strike on a U.S. compound. One U.S. soldier, SFC Matt Rierson, was killed.

US Withdrawal

Following the Battle of Mogadishu, President Clinton ordered that additional troops be added to protect U.S. soldiers and aide in withdrawal. All military actions were ceased on October 6, except in cases of self-defense. Clinton called for a full withdrawal by March 31, 1994. Conforming to this request, most troops were out of the country by March 25, 1994. A few hundred Marines remained off-shore, but were completely removed from the area by March 1995. The UN withdrew as well. ^[2]

Results

As a result of what was considered a military failure, Secretary of Defense Les Aspin resigned his post late in 1993. ^[2]

Osama bin Laden, who was currently in Sudan, cited this operation as an example of American weakness and vulnerability to an attack. ^[3]

Notes

References

• Dolan, Ronald E. A History of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne). Chapter IX: Somalia/Operation Gothic Serpent. Washington, DC: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress. October 2001.
• Loeb, Vernon. The CIA in Somalia: After-Action Report. Washington: Washington Post Magazine. February 27, 2000.