The Mogadishu Mile 2026

The race.

The Battle of Mogadishu was part of Operation Gothic Serpent fought on 3–4 October 1993, in Mogadishu, Somalia, between forces of the United State and the forces of the Somali National Alliance (SNA) of south Mogadishu. The battle was part of the broader Somali Civil War that had begun 1991.

On 3 October 1993, Task Force Ranger, U.S. forces under the command of MG William Garrison, planned a mission to seize two of Aidid's high-ranking lieutenants during a meeting deep in the city Mogadishu. The raid was only intended to last an hour, but morphed into an overnight fire fight and rescue operation extending into the daylight hours of 4 October 1993.

While the goal of the operation was achieved, it spiraled into the deadly Battle of Mogadishu. As the operation was ongoing, Somali forces shot down three American UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters using RPG-7s, with two crashing deep in hostile territory. A desperate defense of the two downed helicopters began and fighting lasted through the night to defend the survivors of the crashes.