page_title: Battle of Mogadishu (1993)
section_title: Task Force Ranger
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Mogadishu (1993) / Background / Task Force Ranger
caption_attribution_description: English: Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment in Somalia, 1993
context_page_description: The Battle of Mogadishu, also known as the Black Hawk Down incident, and as Battle of Bakara Market in Malaysia, was part of Operation Gothic Serpent. It was fought on 3–4 October 1993, in Mogadishu, Somalia, between forces of the United States—supported by UNOSOM II—and Somali militiamen loyal to the warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. It was part of the broader Somali Civil War, which had intensified since 1991 and threatened famine; the UN had become engaged to provide food aid, but eventually shifted their mission to establish democracy and restore a secure government.
  Standing in the way was Aidid, who refused to cooperate with the UN. The American Task Force Ranger was dispatched to seize two of Aidid's high-echelon lieutenants during a meeting in the city. The goal of the operation was achieved, although it was a Pyrrhic victory and conditions spiraled into the deadly Battle of Mogadishu. The initial operation of 3 October 1993, intended to last an hour, became an overnight standoff and rescue operation extending into the daylight hours of 4 October 1993.
  The assault was planned to include an air and ground phase.
context_section_description: On 8 August 1993, Aidid's militia detonated a remote controlled bomb against a U.S. military vehicle, killing four soldiers. Two weeks later another bomb injured seven more. In response, U.S. President Bill Clinton approved the proposal to deploy a special task force composed of elite special forces units, including 400 U.S. Army Rangers and Delta Force operators.
  On 22 August 1993, the unit deployed to Somalia under the command of Major General William F. Garrison, commander of the special multi-disciplinary Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) at the time.
  The force consisted of:
  B Company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment under the command of Captain Michael D. Steele;
  C Squadron, 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1st SFOD-D) under the command of Lt Col Gary L. Harrell;
  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 Birds;
  Navy SEALs from the Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU);
  Air Force Pararescuemen and Combat Controllers from the 24th Special Tactics Squadron.
caption: Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment in Somalia, 1993.
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