Somalia still a mess after “Blackhawk Down”
Sad. Here’s a snip from the story:
The wreckage of a Black Hawk helicopter lies tangled in a big prickly pear cactus. It’s the only remaining evidence of the fierce battle on a dusty side street a decade ago that killed 18 U.S. soldiers and spurred the exit of American peacekeepers.
On Oct. 3, 1993, Ali Shera was a lieutenant in warlord Mohamed Farah Aidid’s (search) militia, and Musa Hussein was a streetfighter toting a Kalashnikov assault rifle. They said they rejoiced when they won the 19-hour battle against the world’s only superpower.
“You can imagine Somalia, a small nation, we beat the most powerful country in the world,” Shera, 41, said while looking at the wreck. “For us, we were very happy we beat the Americans.”
But in the years since, the two men have come to hate the clan militias that still prowl Mogadishu’s streets and the anarchy that has left Somalia a state in name only. Shera and Hussein said they have seen too much death and destruction. *snip*