Падение чёрного ястреба. Самая провальная операция спецназа США...

In 1991, a military coup overthrew President Mohamed Stiad Bare in Somalia. Civil war erupted, resulting in numerous casualties. At least 300,000 people died and a terrible famine erupted. In 1992, a UN Security Council meeting... A decision was made to organize food supplies for residents. However, humanitarian supplies began to encounter obstacles, with local armed groups taxing them or simply looting them. Most supplies never reached residents. As a result, the decision was made to deploy an international peacekeeping force consisting of 20 countries to Somalia. This caused discontent among militants. Somali National Alliance leader Mohamed Aideed declared that all peacekeepers on Somali soil were legitimate military targets. On June 5, 1993, Pakistani troops were ambushed. They lost 24 people. The militants also attacked several other peacekeeping groups. In response, the US Air Force launched airstrikes against militant bases. The headquarters of the Somali National Alliance, their local radio station, and Mohammed Aideed's home were destroyed. Mohammed Aideed himself was placed on the international wanted list. A $25,000 bounty was placed on his head. The US military and the CIA began hunting him and his closest associates. On October 3, 1993, an operation was launched to capture Aideed's advisor, Amar Salad. According to intelligence, he was supposed to be staying at a hotel. which was located in the heart of the Magadishi slum. Some reports suggest that Aideed himself may have been with him. Intelligence estimates suggested that up to 6,000 armed militants and insurgents could be in the area. However, the Rangers planned to carry out the operation with only 160 fighters. The operation began at 3:00 PM. Special forces parachuted onto the hotel's rooftop and then hurled assault grenades into the courtyard. However, within a minute, they were hit by intense fire from neighboring buildings. Nevertheless, they managed to capture Amar Salada and 23 other militants. They loaded them into arriving Humvees. and attempted to escort them out. However, they had to be escorted out under heavy fire. They were fired upon from virtually every building. While being loaded, one of the helicopters, a Black Hawk, was shot down. Instead of a lightning-fast capture operation, a protracted street battle ensued, during which the militants shot down two more helicopters. Some of the special forces found themselves surrounded by intense enemy fire. Attempts to free them were unsuccessful. RPGs destroyed several Humvees. The encircled Rangers established a perimeter defense, but their losses continued to mount. They were running low on medicine and ammunition. Only after dark, under cover of Malaysian and Pakistani armored vehicles, did they manage to break through to them in a group of Humvees. October 3, 1993, became a dark day in the history of US Special Forces. The losses for the elite Special Forces were catastrophic. Eighteen fighters were killed, their bodies later dragged through the city streets by locals. More than 80 were wounded. According to the US, the Somalis lost 1,500 men. More than a thousand civilians were killed. All this had a wide public resonance. US Secretary of Defense Les Espin was forced to resign. An indefinite ceasefire was signed with Mohammed Aidid. Mohammed Aidi was completely withdrawn from Somalia as a result of these events. He only consolidated his power and was killed in a 1996 firefight with a rival group. The main reason for the failure was a clear underestimation of enemy forces, the small number of soldiers involved in the operation, and poor intelligence during planning. Some military officials warned the leadership of the possible risks, but the decision was nevertheless made to carry out the operation. This story inspired the film "Black Hawk Down" by Ridley Scott in 2001. As current events show, US leadership apparently doesn't always listen to the opinions of its military either. #war #usa #blackhawkdown