Editing Battle of Mogadishu (1993) (section)

===Escalation of insurgency and September Black Hawk shootdown===
As American casualties started to mount in Somalia, domestic backlash in the United States grew. [[Bipartisanship|Bipartisan]] support from the [[United States Senate|US senate]] began to build for a withdrawal. By August 1993, it was evident to the [[Presidency of Bill Clinton|Clinton administration]] that a strategy shift was necessary to retain domestic support for US involvement in Somalia. This shift was signaled by [[United States Secretary of Defense|Defense Secretary]] [[Les Aspin]] in his 27 August speech, advocating for a decreased military focus in UNOSOM II and urging the UN and the [[Organisation of African Unity|OAU]] to resume negotiations with all parties. Both the [[United States Secretary of State|US Secretary of State]] and the [[National security advisor|National Security Advisor]] pushed for a shift towards [[diplomacy]].<ref name=":253">{{Cite book |last=Wheeler |first=Nicholas J. |url=https://academic.oup.com/book/276 |title=Saving Strangers: Humanitarian Intervention in International Society |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2002 |isbn=9780191600302 |chapter=From Famine Relief to 'Humanitarian War': The US and UN Intervention in Somalia}}</ref> Certain US officials advocated for a more aggressive response, among them was Ambassador Robert R. Gosende from the [[United States Department of State|State Department]]. Gosende had written a cable recommending the deployment of thousands of additional troops and urged the abandonment of all diplomatic engagements with the SNA. Contrarily, General [[Joseph P. Hoar]], who was at the helm of [[United States Central Command|CENTCOM]], expressed sharp disagreement with Gosende's approach. In a confidential memo, General Hoar articulated his belief that if more American troops were needed, then control of Mogadishu was already lost.{{Sfn|Peterson|2000|p=109}}<ref name=":253" />

During September, tensions escalated after incidents where UNOSOM troops fired on civilian demonstrators.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brauman |first=Rony |author-link=Rony Brauman |date=September 1993 |title=Somalia: A Humanitarian Crime |url=https://msf-crash.org/en/war-and-humanitarianism/somalia-humanitarian-crime |access-date=2025-02-14 |website=msf-crash.org |publisher=[[Doctors Without Borders]] |language=en |quote=in September 1993, when during the repression of demonstrations dozens of civilians were cut down by the machine guns of international peacekeeping troops, the UN continued to pursue a tension-filled strategy}}</ref> That month, Somali insurgent used RPGs to attack U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopters, damaging at least one that managed to return to base. Then, at 2 a.m. on 25 September—a week before the Battle of Mogadishu—the SNA used an RPG to shoot down a Black Hawk (callsign Courage 53) while it was on patrol.<ref name=":7">{{Cite news |agency=Reuters |date=25 September 1993 |title=3 Killed as U.S. Chopper Is Shot Down in Somalia |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/25/world/3-killed-as-us-chopper-is-shot-down-in-somalia.html |access-date=17 March 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite news |last=Lorch |first=Donatella |date=26 September 1993 |title=Hunted Somali General Lashes Out |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/26/world/hunted-somali-general-lashes-out.html |access-date=17 March 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The pilots were able to fly their burning aircraft away from Aideed's turf to the more UNOSOM-friendly port of Mogadishu and make a crash landing. The pilot and co-pilot survived, but three crew members were killed. A shootout ensued as peacekeepers fought to the helicopter.<ref name=":8" /> The event was a propaganda victory for the [[Somali National Alliance|SNA]].{{sfn|Bowden|2010|page=133}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Chun |first=Clayton K.S. |title=Gothic Serpent: Black Hawk Down, Mogadishu 1993. Osprey Raid Series #31 |publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]] |year=2012 |page=32}}</ref><ref name=":9">{{Cite news |last=Richburg |first=Keith |date=26 September 1993 |title=3 GIs Killed as Somalis Down Helicopter|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1993/09/26/3-gis-killed-as-somalis-down-helicopter/70f8e493-6e8f-44b3-b760-7a2e00e0df17/ |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> The chief UNOSOM II spokesman in Mogadishu, U.S. Army Maj. David Stockwell, referred to the downing as "a very lucky shot."<ref name=":9" />