72 Hours to Mogadishu

While the United States military and coalition forces prepared for the imminent battle with Iraq’s military forces, Operation Desert Storm, January of 1991, a second international crisis unfolded in the famine stricken country of Somalia where a full-scale bloody civil war erupted. War lord General Mohammad Farah Aideed rebel forces were on pace to overthrow the Somalia government. The fighting threatened Americans and Foreign diplomatic missions based in Mogadishu Somalia as the Somalia government was collapsing under the weight of the bloody civil war. This is an incredible story that has not been told of heroism in the face of chaos and uncertainty.

The U.S. ambassador to Somalia James K. Bishop was facing a critical situation in Mogadishu in which he would go above and beyond using his great leadership and experience to protect and save not just Americans, but also foreign nationals as well. The civil war in Somalia was spiraling out of control. Armed looters and renegade soldiers were roaming the streets of Mogadishu looting, robbing, and often killing people on sight. Also impromptu road blocks were being set-up by corrupt government soldiers, policemen, and criminals throughout Mogadishu at all hours of the day where drivers and occupants in the vehicle were being robbed and killed. Inside Mogadishu, U.S. diplomats and foreign diplomatic missions based in Mogadishu were no longer provided protection from the host country Somalia as the government was in the final stages of complete collapse. There was little regard for civilians or diplomatic privileges as they were now exposed and engulfed by the violent elements of the civil war. Diplomatic representatives with their families and staff representing over 30 countries sought refuge at the U.S. embassy in Mogadishu. On January 2, 1991, Italian officials in Mogadishu made an effort to arrange a cease fire among the factions. When this effort failed, U.S. ambassador James K. Bishop realized that he didn’t have many options left and on that day January 2, 1991, he made the call to Washington D.C. to be rescued. Ambassador Bishop message was clear and straight to the point. “If a U.S. military rescue force does not arrive in time, there will be no one to rescue”. Ambassador Bishop believed that it was just a matter of time before the remaining Americans and all diplomatic missions still in Mogadishu would be the next victims of the bloodshed in Somalia. On January 2, 1991, Secretary of State James Baker presented the dire situation and request to President George Bush. The Pentagon did not waste any time and moved quickly in response to U.S. ambassador Bishop request. General Norman Schwarzkopf who was the commander of the United States Central Command and also led and commanded all coalition forces preparing for Operation Desert Storm, tasked Vice Admiral Stanley Arthur to launch Operation Eastern Exit, to rescue Americans trapped at the U.S. embassy compound in Mogadishu Somalia. When the executive order was given to rescue the Americans trapped in Mogadishu, The President of Somalia, Siad Barre had gone into hiding to escape the rebel forces.

There were several options being looked at by U.S. military commanders from the beginning of the crisis to rescue the Americans trapped in Mogadishu but it had not yet become clear that only one option remained viable. The most preferred option would be involving sending U.S. military C-130 transport planes with armed security detachments on board into Mogadishu airport and safely fly Americans out of the country. The conditions at Mogadishu were uncertain as there was no communication with Mogadishu airport because all telephone lines were down. Mogadishu airport was two miles away from the U.S. embassy compound and Ambassador Bishop did not believe that Americans could safely travel through the embattled city. It was now clear that the remaining Americans in Mogadishu only hope of survival and rescue would have to come from U.S. Naval Expeditionary forces from the sea. In response the U.S. Central Command dispatched and diverted two U.S. Navy ships from Operation Desert Shield, the amphibious helicopter assault ship U.S.S. Guam (LPH-9) and the Landing platform dock ship U.S.S. Trenton (LPH 14). On board both ships were elements of the 4^th Marine Expeditionary Brigade and Navy Seals. The ships were the closest U.S. military forces to the horn of Africa but still 1,500 nautical miles away. On January 4, 1991, U.S. ambassador reported that the U.S. embassy was under siege and that armed looters had penetrated the compound, in which a fire fight broke out between armed looters and the embassy security forces. Armed looters were circling the U.S. embassy like jackals sizing up their prey. The rescue task force would arrive by January 7 but ambassador Bishop stated the situation is critical and that we are not going to make it to January 7^th. As the conditions at the U.S. embassy were deteriorating fast and with U.S. ambassador Bishop plea for immediate help, the rescue task force knew they had to get a ground rescue force into the U.S. embassy compound before January 7^th. On the morning of January 5, 1991 at 0247am, on board the U.S.S. Guam, a heavily armed 60 man ground rescue force combined of 51 U.S. Marines and 9 Navy Seals from Seal Team 8 boarded two Marine CH-53 Super Stallion helicopters that are capable of being refueled in air. Both helicopters lifted off the U.S.S. Guam into the dark night at a distance of 466 nautical miles from Mogadishu. The night mission to Mogadishu would not be an ordinary flight. The flight would require two night-time in air refueling over water at night from Marine KC-130 Hercules coming from Bahrain and an aerial rendezvous with an U.S. Air Force AC-130 gunship that would provide fire support if necessary once the helicopters crossed the coastline into Somalia. The most difficult part of the flight would be the linking up of the CH-53 Super Stallion helicopters and KC-130 Hercules tankers over the ocean at night. At the crack of dawn on the morning of January 5^, 1991, the two Super Stallion helicopters crossed the coastline screaming in at 175 mph over the city of Mogadishu. After flying around for 10 minutes the pilots spotted an American flag and the U.S. embassy with crowds of armed Somalis around the U.S. embassy with ladders on the compound walls. The ground rescue force arrived in a 72 hour time frame, just in the nick of time as hostile Somalia forces were preparing to assault the U.S. embassy compound. The final phase of the rescue mission was executed under the cover of darkness.

Trent LaLand is a former Marine and was a member of the 60-man ground rescue force. He brings his first-hand experience into the rescue mission Operation Eastern exit in his book titled Night Mission To Mogadishu.

There are many who know the dangers that American diplomats, their staff, and families face while serving overseas. This story has become especially relevant in previous years with the attack on the U.S. embassy in Iran, and the attack on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, Libya where U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens as well as three other Americans were killed.