Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War is based on a series of 29 articles written by journalist Mark Bowden for
The Philadelphia Inquirer. He did extensive research in US Army records, interviewed participants from both sides of the conflict, reviewed footage recorded by observation aircraft, and listened to recordings of radio traffic. Before the book was published, Bowden's series had already begun to attract attention within the media. It consisted of a CD-ROM, an hour-long video, and an audiovisual series on The Inquirer's Web site. Bowden met with Howe in 1997 after clearing it with Howe's commanding officer. Other Delta Force members also consulted for the book, but did not allow the use of their real names. Howe has faced some criticism for allowing Bowden to use his real name. In January 1991,
militias overthrew the regime of President
Siad Barre which led to the
Somali Civil War. The United Nations later
arranged a US-led intervention, with a mandate to engage in
state building and encourage the militias to share power and begin to form a new government. President
George H. W. Bush sent
United States Marines into Somalia in December 1992 as part of a
UN effort to secure transportation routes to deliver
relief and food supplies, which had been disrupted by local militias. Uninterested in sharing power, Mohamed Farrah Aidid began to regard the
ongoing UN mission as hostile and
ambushed a peacekeeping convoy in June 1993, killing 24 Pakistani soldiers. The UN mission's commander, U.S. Admiral
Jonathan Howe, declared Aidid an outlaw, and the faction leader's forces and supporters subsequently began targeting the officer. The hunt for Aidid included a
disputed attack on a house of clan officials and resulted in civilian casualties as well as increasing civilian hostility against the UN efforts, especially their use of helicopters. As a result,
President Clinton approved
Operation Gothic Serpent, a
JSOC mission to apprehend Aidid. The operation created Task Force Ranger which was composed of Rangers, Delta Force, 24th Special Tactics Squadron airmen, DEVGRU Navy SEALs, and 160th SOAR aviators. One of the operation's missions led to several Black Hawk helicopters being shot down and
an extended bloody battle between task force and UN forces against Somali militia. After the battle, the hunt for Aidid was called off. The U.S. subsequently pulled out, with the UN following suit a few months later. In 1996, Aidid died from wounds sustained during a battle against a rival militia. A new interim central administration, the
Transitional National Government, was eventually formed in 2000, a year after Bowden's book was published. ==Critical reception==