Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War

Mohamad Hassan Farah hears the helicopters approaching. He is still healing from wounds sustained in an American helicopter attack three months prior. Farah had originally welcomed the UN intervention, but has since come to hate the UN Secretary Boutros Boutros-Ghali, an enemy of General Aidid. Farah believes the US troops were duped into helping Boutros-Ghali, who secretly wishes to restore the Darod, a rival clan of Habr Gidr.

In the previous attack, Farah had been at a Habr Gidr meeting when an American helicopter began launching missiles. Farah was left with gashes in his arms and back from shrapnel. He escaped, thinking, “this business of sending US Rangers swooping down into their city kidnapping and killing their leaders, this was too much” (74). Eventually, the attack Farah survived would come to be known as the Abdi House attack.

Attorney Bashir Haji Yusuf also heard the helicopters on the day of the raid. He is disappointed in the Americans. He received some education in America and has friends there, so he knows that the troops mean well. He believes the Americans’ intention to destroy the clan is ignorant: “Didn’t the Americans realize that for every leader they arrested there were dozens of brothers, cousins, sons, and nephews to take his place?” (75).