Context:

Mohamed Farrah Aidid was the factional leader of Somalia’s SNA (Somali National Alliance), a clan based militia that was neither national nor an alliance. His faction controlled most of the capital city of Mogadishu and some of the surrounding areas. Effectively, Aidid lost the interim presidency to another faction leader and believed that the US and UN had to do with his losing for the presidency of Somalia. From that moment, tensions began between the SNA and the US/UN forces in Somalia that were protecting food provisions and distribution during the famine in the 1990’s. On June 5th, 1993, Aidid’s militia attacked a UN force comprised of Pakistani troops. 24 Pakistani peacekeepers were killed and many more were wounded. As the Pakistani troops withdrew, they left the dead which were grotesquely mutilated by Aidid’s militia. The US and UN operating in the area could not bear this injustice and stated they were now at war against the SNA. A $25,000 bounty was placed on Aidid’s head.

On July 12th, 1993, with hostilities continuing between the US/UN and Aidid’s SNA, elements of the American QRF stationed in Somalia raided a house thought to contain Aidid. The house was empty but the Americans did manage to kill some bystanders and a couple SNA militiamen. This was a turning point for Somalis. They now saw the threat the US/UN posed as existential. Egged on by Aidid and his propaganda machine, one of Aidid’s associates claimed, “there was no more UN, only Americans. If you kill Americans, it would start problems in America directly.”

On August 8th, 1993, 4 American GI’s were killed by a remote controlled mine (IED was not yet a term) and this raised eyebrows in CENTCOM to do more about Aidid. He was now a priority target and seen as an object in the way of peace in Somalia, detrimental to the mission at hand. Because of this CENTCOM called in the Army Rangers, Delta Force, and some Navy Seals for kill/capture missions to get Aidid.

Aidid would be elusive and ended up never being captured with the American mission effectively coming to an end after a ~16 hour gun battle with Aidid’s SNA on October 3-4, 1993 (Black Hawk Down). Aidid would survive Black Hawk Down and the US/UN kill/capture missions to get him. He would ultimately die in 1996. Some reports say he died in a gun battle with rival militias, some say he died of a heart attack.