What Really Happened During the Black Hawk Down Incident? Inside the Real-Life Combat Mission Gone Wrong Revisited inSurviving Black Hawk Down

Mar. 15, 2025

Netflix’s docuseries ‘Surviving Black Hawk Down’ (2025).

The 2001 war filmBlack Hawk Downbrought the deadly events of 1993’s Battle of Mogadishu to the big screen.

U.S. forces, attempting to bring down Somali National Alliance (SNA) Leader Mohamed Farrah Aidid, embarked on a mission in the capital city of Mogadishu to capture some of Aidid’s top aides. But the operation went awry when two U.S. Black Hawk helicopters were shot down, and the American troops were plunged into a deadly firefight with Somali soldiers.

The 18-hour battle left 18 American soldiers dead, 84 wounded and one captured as a prisoner of war, according toTheWashington Post. At the time, Somali leaders estimated that they suffered 312 deaths and 814 injuries.

“A fire-fight is considered long if it lasts 15 minutes,” Scott told theBBC, “but this was 18 and a half hours of relentless procedure on both sides.”

The dramatic retelling of the Black Hawk Down incident featured an ensemble cast full of Hollywood A-listers, includingJosh Hartnett,Ewan McGregor, Eric Bana,Jeremy Piven,Orlando Bloom, Hugh Dancy andTom Hardy.

Here is a look back at the devastating true events that inspired Scott’s 2001 filmBlack Hawk Down.

Why were U.S. troops in Somalia in 1993?

Gen. Colin Powell driving through Mogadishu on a tour of Somalia.David Hume Kennerly/Center for Creative Photography/University of Arizona

Gen. Colin Powell driving through Mogadishu on a tour of Somalia.

David Hume Kennerly/Center for Creative Photography/University of Arizona

In the early 1990s, Somalia was in the throes of chaos. After the Eastern African country’s President Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991, a deadly civil war ensued — during which severe drought and battles created a famine that killed an estimated 300,000 people, perThe New York Times.

The United Nations began delivering humanitarian aid to the region in the spring of 1992 but struggled to get emergency food supplies to starving citizens due to the intense fighting. As a result, President George H.W. Bush and the U.S. initiated Operation Restore Hope — which sent 28,000 U.S. troops to Somalia in December 1992, according toThe New York Times. Their job was originally to ensure that food and aid could be distributed safely.

What was the United States’ mission on Oct. 3, 1993?

Netflix’s docuseries ‘Surviving Black Hawk Down’ (2025).

In the spring of 1993, the U.N. had begun arranging a peace deal to reinstate a stable, unified government in Somalia’s capital city of Mogadishu, perThe New York Times.

During this time, in one particularly deadly incident, the U.N. blamed Aidid’s forces for attacking Pakistani peacekeepers who were conducting a radio and arms storage inspection. Hospital officials said the ambush killed around two dozen Pakistani soldiers and 16 to 35 Somalis, perThe New York Times. In the months following, it was reported that SNA soldiers thought the Pakistani troops were attempting to overtake the radio system.

By the time the Army Rangers and Delta Commandos arrived in Somalia in August, however, Aidid had slipped into hiding, perThe New York Times. As a result, the U.S. mission expanded to capturing the violent ruler’s top aides and officials — in hopes of bringing them one step closer to Aidid himself.

The mission — which would eventually become known as the Battle of Mogadishu or the Black Hawk Down incident — was expected to take no longer than an hour, according toSmithsonian Magazine.

What went wrong during the Black Hawk Down incident?

Netflix’s docuseries ‘Surviving Black Hawk Down’ (2025).

Initially, the U.S. mission on Oct. 3, 1993 went according to plan. The attack force — which consisted of 19 aircrafts, 12 vehicles and around 160 soldiers — surprised the Somalis and captured 24 of Aidid’s men, according toThe New York Times. The ground convoy moved in as planned to take away the prisoners and troops.

Garrison ordered the Army Rangers to consolidate forces and head to the crash site, but the trucks and Humvees faced intense fire and were forced to return to their base at the Mogadishu airfield, perTheWashington Post.

About 100 American soldiers were able to reach the crash site on foot, however, and formed a perimeter around the downed Black Hawk. They refused to abandon the body of the dead pilot, who could not be freed from the carnage without saws to cut through the metal. As they stood their ground, the Rangers — who were more lightly armed for the assumed brief mission — faced hours of gunfire from Somali fighters.

The deadly fighting continued throughout the night, until American rescue forces — with help from Pakistani and Malaysian tanks — were able to make it to both crash sites. By 7 a.m., the pilot’s body was pried from the first downed Black Hawk and the surviving American troops had made it to safety inside Mogadishu Stadium.

How many people died during the Black Hawk Down incident?

Photo of the real soldiers of Black Hawk Down in Netflix’s docuseries ‘Surviving Black Hawk Down’ (2025).

At the time, the Battle of Mogadishu was the longest and deadliest firefight U.S. forces had faced since the Vietnam War, according toTheWashington Post. It left 18 American soldiers dead, 84 wounded and one captured.

The losses on the Somali side were staggering. Somali leaders claimed 312 people had been killed — including citizens and militia — and 814 wounded. Bowden’s reporting in his book,Black Hawk Down,places those figures even higher, alleging more than 500 killed and 1,000 injured.

When was Mike Durant released from Somali captivity?

Photo of Mike Durant’s release in Netflix’s docuseries ‘Surviving Black Hawk Down’ (2025).

Durant’s release came after two days of intense negotiations between the White House and Aidid’s aides. Both U.S. officials and Aidid said that the release came with no conditions or concessions. Aidid reportedly told reporters in Mogadishu that the release of Durant was a message of goodwill.

“I want to … emphasize that we made no deals to secure the release of Chief Warrant Officer Durant,” Clinton said at the time, according to theLA Times. Clinton also said that the U.S. “being a police officer” in Somalia and involving itself in the country’s political processes was “wrong."

“Telling the story was absolutely therapeutic for a long period of time,” Durant toldCNNin 2016. “I didn’t realize it, but one theory I have about why I don’t think I suffer from most of the symptoms that would be associated with PTSD is that I have told this story."

What happened to Maj. Gen. William Garrison?

Maj. Gen. William Garrison testifies on May 12, 1994 before the Senate Armed Services Committee which was holding hearings on Somalia.AP PHOTO/John Durica

Maj. Gen. William Garrison testifies on May 12, 1994 before the Senate Armed Services Committee which was holding hearings on Somalia.

AP PHOTO/John Durica

The disastrous battle effectively ended Garrison’s highly decorated military career, though the Army general did not officially retire until 1996, around the time Aidid died of a heart attack.

source: people.com

What Really Happened During the Black Hawk Down Incident? Inside the Real-Life Combat Mission Gone Wrong Revisited inSurviving Black Hawk Down

Why were U.S. troops in Somalia in 1993?

What was the United States’ mission on Oct. 3, 1993?

What went wrong during the Black Hawk Down incident?

How many people died during the Black Hawk Down incident?

When was Mike Durant released from Somali captivity?

What happened to Maj. Gen. William Garrison?

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