United Nations Operation in Somalia II United Nations Operation in Somalia II ( UNOSOM II ) was the second phase of the United Nations intervention in Somalia , from March 1993 until March 1995 . UNOSOM II carried on from the United States - controlled ( UN - sanctioned ) Unified Task Force ( UNITAF ) , which had in turn taken over from the ineffectual United Nations Operation in Somalia I ( UNOSOM I ) mission . All three of these interventions were aimed at creating a secure enough environment for humanitarian operations to be carried out in the increasingly lawless and famine - stricken country . The UNOSOM II intervention is well known for the Battle of Mogadishu and the resulting events portrayed in the book " " , and its associated film " Black Hawk Down . " Background . Following the failure of the monitoring mission created as UNOSOM by the United Nations , the United States offered to lead a substantial intervention force , chiefly made up of American personnel . This was accepted by the UN and made possible through United Nations Security Council Resolution 794 , authorizing the use of " all necessary means to establish as soon as possible a secure environment for humanitarian relief operations in Somalia " . The Security Council then urged the Secretary - General and member states to make arrangements for " the unified command and control " of the military forces that would be involved . On the evening of 4 December 1992 , U . S . President George H . W . Bush made an address to the nation , informing them that U . S . troops would be sent to Somalia . The U . S . contribution would be known as Operation Restore Hope , which joined a multinational force and became known as the United Task Force ( UNITAF ) . The operations of UNOSOM I were suspended . UNITAF was authorized under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter . UNITAF and the arrangement of U . S . control was only intended as a transitional state of affairs . The mission consisted of four carefully laid out phases . The first phase was the initial deployment of troops and to provide secure harbor and airport sites in Mogadishu , from where the entire operation would be managed . Second was the expansion of the security zone to the surrounding regions of southern Somalia . Due to a more lenient environment than expected and the encouragement from NGOs ( Non - governmental Organizations ) , UNITAF forces accomplished phase two a couple of weeks ahead of schedule . The third phase included a further expansion of the security zone into Kismayo and Bardera and the maintenance of secure land routes for humanitarian operations throughout the security zone . The fourth and final phase consisted of the handing over of operations to the United Nations and the withdrawal of most of the UNITAF forces . On 3 March 1993 , the Secretary - General submitted to the Security Council his recommendations for effecting the transition from UNITAF to UNOSOM II . He noted that despite the size of the UNITAF mission , a secure environment was not yet established and there was still no effective functioning government or local security / police force . The Secretary - General concluded therefore , that , should the Security Council determine that the time had come for the transition from UNITAF to UNOSOM II , the latter should be endowed with enforcement powers under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter to establish a secure environment throughout Somalia . UNOSOM II would therefore seek to complete the task begun by UNITAF for the restoration of peace and stability in Somalia . The new mandate would also empower UNOSOM II to assist the Somali people in rebuilding their economic , political and social life , through achieving national reconciliation so as to recreate a democratic Somali State . The new UN - controlled mission to be called UNOSOM II was established by the Security Council in Resolution 814 ( 1993 ) on 26 March 1993 but did not formally take over operations in Somalia until UNITAF was dissolved on 4 May 1993 . UNOSOM II in operation . A federalist government based on 18 autonomous regions was agreed upon by the leaders of Somalia ' s various armed factions . It was the objective of UNOSOM II to support this new system and initiate nation - building in Somalia . This included disarming the various factions , restoring law and order , helping the people to set up a representative government , and restoring infrastructure . UNOSOM II had a strength of 28 , 000 personnel , including 22 , 000 troops and 8 , 000 logistic and civilian staff from Australia , Austria , Bangladesh , Belgium , Botswana , Canada , Egypt , Fiji , Finland , France , Germany , Greece , India , Indonesia , Ireland , Italy , Kuwait , Jordan , Malaysia , Morocco , Nepal , New Zealand , Nigeria , Norway , Pakistan , Spain , South Korea , Romania , Saudi Arabia , Sweden , Tunisia , Turkey , the United Arab Emirates , the United Kingdom , the USA and Zimbabwe . The US also provided 1 , 167 troops for a Quick Reaction Force under US operational control that would be stationed on US Navy ships off the coast of Somalia ( see Carrier Strike Group 6 ) . This force would respond to emergency threats to UNOSOM II but only if US Central Command in Florida approved . On 5 June , a Pakistani force was sent to investigate an arms depot belonging to a Somali warload vying for the Presidency , Mohamed Farrah Aidid . When the Pakistani force arrived , they were greeted by angry Somali protesters . Twenty - four Pakistani soldiers inspecting weapons as part of the expanded UN mandate were killed when “ forces believed to be associated with Aidid allegedly launched a fatal attack on peacekeeping forces . ” The UN responded the next day with Resolution 837 , reaffirming that the secretary - general was authorized to “ take all necessary measures against those responsible for the armed attacks and to establish the effective authority of UNOSOM II throughout Somalia . ” This was essentially equivalent to declaring war on Aidid and his army , a declaration that would lead to numerous confrontations between UNOSOM II personnel and Aidid ’ s militia . UNOSOM II had much fewer war - fighting resources than UNITAF , but it was much more ambitious and aggressive . On 12 June 1993 U . S . troops started attacking targets in Mogadishu in hopes of finding Aidid , a campaign which lasted until 16 June . On 17 June , a $ 25 , 000 warrant was issued by Admiral Jonathan Howe for information leading to the arrest of Aidid , but he was never captured . Howe also requested a counter - terrorist rescue force after the killings of the Pakistani troops . The hunt for Aidid characterised much of the UNOSOM II intervention . The increasing tempo of military operations carried out in Mogadishu began to cause civilian casualties and affected the relationship between the foreign troops and the Somali people . The UN troops were portrayed as foreign interlopers , particularly after incidents of civilian casualties caused by wholesale firing into crowds . On July 12 , a house where clan leaders were meeting was attacked by US AH - 1 Cobra helicopters . Several buildings were destroyed and many Somalians died . When four western journalists went to investigate the scene , they were beaten to death by a Somalian mob . The journalists were Hansi Krauss of Associated Press and Dan Eldon , Hos Maina and Anthony Macharia , all of Reuters . Somalis that had been disappointed by the failure of the UN to disarm the warlords in Mogadishu actually began to support those same warlords in an “ us versus them ” mentality . The spectre of Islamic fundamentalism also began to rise , as militia leaders sought to use religion as a rallying point for anti - UN sentiment . As the Americans became more insular , the warlords began to reassert control of many Mogadishu districts . With each failure to apprehend Aidid , the militias grew more bold . Serious rifts between nations contributing to UNOSOM II also began to develop , with Italy in particular being a major critic of the American methods . Somali militias began targeting peacekeepers , causing further casualties . On 8 August , Aidid ' s militia detonated a remote controlled bomb against an American military vehicle , first killed four American soldiers and then , two weeks later , injured seven more . In response , President Bill Clinton approved the proposal to deploy a special task force composed of 400 US Army Rangers and Delta - force Commandos . This unit , named Task Force Ranger , consisted of 160 elite US troops . They flew to Mogadishu and began a manhunt for Aidid in what became known as Operation Gothic Serpent . On October 3 , 1993 , Task Force Ranger raided a hotel in Mogadishu in which Aidid was thought to be hiding . What ensued was the longest , bloodiest and deadliest battle for US troops in Somalia . In what later became known as the Battle of Mogadishu , eighteen US soldiers were killed . Images of their dead bodies being dragged through the streets were broadcast on television stations all over the world , horrifying and infuriating the American public . The end of UNOSOM II . On October 7 in a nationwide television address , President Clinton " effectively ended the US proactive policy in Somalia " and " called for the withdrawal of all US forces no later than March 31 , 1994 . " Resolution 954 , passed on November 4 , extended the UNOSOM mandate for a final period until March 31 , 1995 . American soldiers completely withdrew on March 3 , 1994 , 28 days earlier than expected . Other nations , such as Belgium , France and Sweden , also decided to withdraw at this time . On November 4 , 1994 , after “ peacemaking ” efforts by the 1 , 900 UNOSOM II troops failed , the United Nations Security Council ( UNSC ) voted unanimously to withdraw all forces in Resolution 954 . On November 16 the UNSC authorized Resolution 897 , placing new emphasis on peacemaking and reconstruction and returning to a less reactive role . UNOSOM II ’ s mandate ended in March 1995 when US ships off the coast of Somalia assisted in the safe departure of the remaining UNOSOM troops . In early 1994 the Security Council set a deadline for the mission of March 1995 . The withdrawal of UN troops from Somalia was completed on March 28 , 1995 . Various reconciliation talks were carried out over the next few months providing for a ceasefire , the disarmament of militias and a conference to appoint a new Government . However , preparations for the conference were repeatedly postponed and many faction leaders simply ignored the agreements at will . Aidid ’ s son , Hussein Mohamed Farrah took over after his father ’ s death in a battle in August 1996 . He was a former US Marine who served during Operation Restore Hope in 1992 . Somalia participated in talks in December 1997 held in Cairo , Egypt , where Aidid and Mahdi , another Somali warlord , signed a “ Declaration of Principles . ” The declaration promised to launch reconciliation conferences in February , 1998 and to prepare a transitional government charter . Walter Clarke , who was Deputy Chief of Mission for the U . S . Embassy in Somalia during Operation Restore Hope , and Jeffrey Herbst , Associate Professor , Woodrow Wilson School , Princeton University , conclude “ The intervention in Somalia was not an abject failure ; an estimated 100 , 000 lives were saved . But its mismanagement should be an object lesson for peacekeepers … on other such missions . ”