Instead, we sent troops to guard UN Aid convoys, Euro "Peacekeepers" let the Marxist(weird Islamist Marxists) take over a city, then the "Peacekeepers" fired on the anti-communists when they tried to take it back. Then the anti communists started attacking UN convoys, the US soldiers were forced to protect the convoys, some blackhawks were shot down. Then Clinton decided Aidid, the leader of the anti-Communists wasn't bad enough to merit further action, and pulled out.
Then we took in the communists as refugees because most of Somalia wanted them dead, and that totally wasn't the plan from the start.
And meanwhile, the battle of Mogadishu was repackaged by Hollywood as a guns & glory style, patriotic military recruitment tool to be released in the months following 9/11, rather than pro-commie foreign meddling. Enlightening.
To be fair, and to Clinton's credit, Clinton insisted on US troops being there under entirely different uniforms and an entirely separate chain of command than the UN troops, and the though the UN troops picked a fight with Aidid's forces, the US troops didn't, until Aidid attacked them both. He was played like a fiddle when Aidid attacked US troops, it is pretty easy to tell the difference between US Marine and US Army uniforms from UN Security uniforms, even from a distance.
If US troops are attacked, they should fight back, and fiercely. They are your enemy at that point, their motives barely matter if at all. Once then non communist forces were willing to back off, we did.
At the same time, it is understandable why he grouped UN Security and Peacekeeping troops and US troops together, UN Security troops and US troops were both protecting UN food convoys.
In a sane world. These things would be rotting in the shithole of their makings.
Instead, we sent troops to guard UN Aid convoys, Euro "Peacekeepers" let the Marxist(weird Islamist Marxists) take over a city, then the "Peacekeepers" fired on the anti-communists when they tried to take it back. Then the anti communists started attacking UN convoys, the US soldiers were forced to protect the convoys, some blackhawks were shot down. Then Clinton decided Aidid, the leader of the anti-Communists wasn't bad enough to merit further action, and pulled out.
Then we took in the communists as refugees because most of Somalia wanted them dead, and that totally wasn't the plan from the start.
And meanwhile, the battle of Mogadishu was repackaged by Hollywood as a guns & glory style, patriotic military recruitment tool to be released in the months following 9/11, rather than pro-commie foreign meddling. Enlightening.
To be fair, and to Clinton's credit, Clinton insisted on US troops being there under entirely different uniforms and an entirely separate chain of command than the UN troops, and the though the UN troops picked a fight with Aidid's forces, the US troops didn't, until Aidid attacked them both. He was played like a fiddle when Aidid attacked US troops, it is pretty easy to tell the difference between US Marine and US Army uniforms from UN Security uniforms, even from a distance.
If US troops are attacked, they should fight back, and fiercely. They are your enemy at that point, their motives barely matter if at all. Once then non communist forces were willing to back off, we did.
At the same time, it is understandable why he grouped UN Security and Peacekeeping troops and US troops together, UN Security troops and US troops were both protecting UN food convoys.