Counter Terrorism Operations in Somalia - Essay Example

?Running head: Counter Terrorism Operations in Somalia Counter Terrorism Operations in Somalia Introduction The US Military has engaged in very many missions to defend the America’s interests as well as to safeguard the interests of its ally nation’s interests. Most of the missions that the military has engaged in are aimed at fighting against terrorist groups in other nations who compromise the security of Americans and the world in general. The limit of the force used by the US Military on the various operations varies with the intensity of the mission. The Army War College uses three levels of intensity which include vital intensity, important intensity and peripheral intensity. A vital intensity mission is one which failure to fulfill would lead to an immediate compromise of the national interests. An important mission is one whose failure to fulfill would compromise the national interest over time. Peripheral missions do not have any significant effects to national interests. Counter terrorism attacks are very dangerous and engaging in such an operation requires thorough training for the soldiers. It also requires planning with enough intelligence on the areas that the soldiers will attack. While in the battle field, anything is possible and survival is not guaranteed. The US Military has previously engaged in many unsuccessful counter terrorism operations where they incurred more casualties and fatalities than expected. This paper addresses the counter terrorism operation in Somalia that was conducted in October 1993 by the US Military. It also discusses the capture of Mohammed Farrah Aidid, the leader of a terrorism group that was attacking the American and UN relief food convoys in Mogadishu. Operation Gothic Serpent According to Nuechterlein’s outline of national security interests, the insertion of a special military operation to seize General Aidid was in the interest of the United States. The US Special Operation Command had deployed forces to back up the Operation Provide Relief and the Operation Restore Hope that were aimed at providing relief food, healthcare and other basic needs to the poverty stricken Somalia people. General Aidid had led his group towards overthrowing the Somalia government. He compromised the safety of the Americans on the ground providing relief to the people. He attacked the convoys and some American soldiers were wounded in the process of retaliating. Searching for General Aidid was therefore an important mission since he posed a threat to the American citizens who had been posted to Somalia for the various humanitarian operations. However, the tactics that the US Military employed for the mission were not appropriate. The operation cost too many lives on both sides in the battle field (Bowden, 2001). The operation to search and capture General Aidid was named Operation Gothic serpent. It was scheduled to take place on 3rd October 1993. General Aidid had refused to surrender after his resistance forces had been suppressed by the American combat army in the congested streets of Mogadishu. General Aidid’s force had rendered the streets impassible for the American troops by narrowing the streets such that their vehicles couldn’t move. Operation Gothic serpent had been planned to be an air strike to retrieve the General and his lieutenants who had been pushed deep into the heart of Mogadishu. The operation had been expected to be a simple exercise that would have lasted two hours with a high expectation of success (Bowden, 2001). On the night of the Operation Gothic Serpent, the soldiers were deployed into the heart of Mogadishu. The operation was a response to previous attacks on the US and the UN forces in the city. The mission to capture General Aidid had proved almost impossible and so the US marine set out to capture his lieutenants. The soldiers attacked the Baraka Market where General Aidid supporters had camped. The assault team was ferried into the area in helicopters. The assault team successfully captured the two lieutenants it had targeted but before they could make a clean exit, one of the MH-60 BlackHawk chopper was brought down by the resistant group. The assault team on the ground shifted their focus on rescuing the team in the chopper. They faced heavy gun fire on their way to the crash site and most of the soldiers were wounded (Bowden, 2001). The situation got worse when a second helicopter was hit and it crashed close to the first crash site. The Somali resistance group got to the second crash site first and they killed all the soldiers in the helicopter and abducted the pilot. The Assault team was later reinforced by another ground team that set out to rescue the body of the pilot in a bloody battle that went on till dawn. The battle claimed 18 US soldier’s lives and 73 soldiers were badly wounded. The Somali resistant force lost more than 500 people and the casualties’ number was estimated to be almost 1,000 with majority of the wounded being innocent women and children. The brutality that the soldiers had employed in the rescue mission for the pilot’s body was extremely fierce. The mission had failed since the US military suffered heavy losses. They left their severely damaged vehicles behind and had to return to base on foot (Bowden, 2001). Recovering from a failed mission is a challenging process for a nation. The high number of life loss on the assault soldiers is traumatizing for the surviving soldiers. The psychological effects that follow could be devastating for the soldiers since they are forced to live with their brutal actions that they employed to guarantee their survival in the battle field. The economic loss is also derailing for the nation since such missions require heavy funding from the government. The US Military lost two of their best helicopters at that time along with many vehicles that the ground team had to leave behind (Eversmann & Dan, 2006). To recover from such a failed mission, a nation has to step back and stop further missions in the areas in question. The casualties should be given the required medical attention and send back home to recover. The remaining troops should then pack up their tools and exit from the war zone to prevent further losses in case of surprise attacks from the enemy. In the process of the recovery, the affected soldiers and their families should be fully supported by their government since they risk their lives to fight for the interests of the nation. It is also important for a nation to learn from the mistakes that may have led to failure in such a mission. Giving up has never been an option for the military. When everyone has recovered from the failed mission, new calculated tactics should be employed to fulfill the initial required outcome that led to the mission. The government may opt for economic sanctions against the nation they are disputing with or even attempt diplomatic measures. Negotiating with the enemy sometimes yields the required outcome. However, for the US Military in Somalia, diplomacy had proved futile with General Aidid and the only option that was left was to employ military assault against him. Unfortunately, the US Military had underestimated General Aidid’s resistance force and they were given a lifetime lesson in the battle field (Bowden, 2001). The media is the only link between the reality in the battle field and the people. In most cases, the public is fed with the edited stories on the war against terrorism. The media has the role of enlightening the people on the progress of the missions and their effectiveness. The media also receives messages from terrorists to forward to the respective governments and it should be careful not to reveal too much information to the public to prevent unnecessary panic. The public depends on the media for crucial information on terrorism; therefore, a bias in the information given by the media can be misleading to the public. The media should give the correct information, censoring the information that may be too raw for the public. The media should also refrain from being used as a tool for spreading terrorism propaganda (Shah, 2007). Conclusion The mission to search and capture General Aidid in Somalia was a miscalculation on the part of the planners. The mission was important since the resistance group had attacked the US and the UN relief convoys injuring some people. It was therefore important for the US military to counter attack and to deal with the issue from the source. The attempt to capture the General was a little over ambitious since the US military knew that they would face heavy losses if they engaged in a battle with the Somali supporters of General Aidid. Despite having this knowledge, the commanders planned the mission. The soldiers were not adequately prepared for the battle that ensued and most of them were severely wounded in the night long shoot out. The US military lost many soldiers in that single operation alongside two helicopters and several military trucks. The mission failed. References Bowden, M. (2001). Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War. New York: Signet. Eversmann, M & Dan S. (2006). The Battle of Mogadishu: Firsthand Accounts from the Men of Task Force Ranger. New York: Presidio Press. Shah, A. (2007). War on Terror Mainstream Media and Propaganda. Global Issues. Retrieved from: http://www.globalissues.org/article/352/mainstream-media-and- Propaganda Read More