Netflix’sSurviving Black Hawk Downtells the true story of the titular event from the Battle of Mogadishu, and here are the 10 biggest moments, reveals, and takeaways from the three-episode docuseries. The Black Hawk Down Incident is arguably the most famous story from the American involvement in the Somali Civil War, with it being popularized byRidley Scott’s 2001 filmBlack Hawk Down. Now, more than two decades after the movie was released, Ridley Scott Associates has producedSurviving Black Hawk Downin an attempt to dive into the subject once again.
Surviving Black Hawk Downinterviewsa variety of individuals involved with the Battle of Mogadishu, each of whom has a different side of the story.U.S. Army Rangers, Delta Force soldiers, American snipers, Somali citizens, and members of General Aidid’s militiaare all featured in the series. Each of the interviewees reveals a lot, with these 10 key points being the most significant inSurviving Black Hawk Down.
10The Somalis Were Initially Hopeful About American Involvement
According To Ahmed ‘Five’
Unlikethe 2001 Ridley Scott movie,Surviving Black Hawk Downattempts to give both sides of the story, with it showing the Somali perspective on the United States' involvement in the Somali Civil War. Significant chunks of the first episode ofSurviving Black Hawk Downare focused on how Somali public opinion on the Americans changed over time.1992 saw the beginning of Operation Restore Hope, with the documentary explaining that 1,800 U.S. Marines were sent to Somalia to help restore peace.
As Ahmed ‘Five’ explains, Operation Restore Hope brought a lot of hope to Somali citizens. Many Somalis eagerly anticipated the arrival of the Americans, waving flags in the hopes that the U.S. and the U.N. would help restore peace to the country. However, the Americans' frequently bungled military operations and the wreckage they left behind quickly turned Somali public opinion against them, with the American soldiers in the show admitting that they knew the powder keg was going to blow eventually.
9Surviving Black Hawk Down Interviews The Cameraman Who Filmed Mike Durant
He Is One Of The Most Prominently Featured Interviewees
WhileSurviving Black Hawk Downinterviews all kinds of American soldiers, Somali citizens, and others, arguably the protagonist of the documentary is Ahmed ‘Five,’ a cameraman who lived in Mogadishu. Five is given a lot of screentime throughout the documentary, with him being prominently featured throughout all three episodes. As he explains, he was 19 years old when he picked up his first camera. When the Somali Civil War began, Five felt obligated to become a war cameraman, with him chronicling the various events of the war.
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Five filmed much of the footage of the Battle of Mogadishuthat is featured in the documentary. Five even tells the story of how he found himself filming a group of Somalis as they were stepping on the body of a dead American soldier. The video later became prominently featured on the news less than a day after he sent it to be broadcast. Most notably, however, Five was informed about the capture of U.S. Black Hawk pilot Mike Durant, with him filming his famous interrogation video.
8Things Were Hostile When The Interviewed Soldiers Arrived In Somalia
They Heard Mortar Fire On Night One
Although the United States had sent Marines to Somalia as far back as 1992, the interviewed U.S. Army Rangers and Delta Force soldiers didn’t arrive until 1993.Public opinion had already turned against the Americansby the time interviewees like David Diemer, Randy Ramaglia, Brad Thomas, and Tom Satterly had arrived. As they explain, the night that they arrived at the hangar base on the outskirts of Mogadishu, they were hearing mortar fire as they slept.
According to the Rangers, the Somalis fired first, leading the Americans to respond with an “overwhelming amount of firepower.”
The soldiers tell various anecdotes about how they were met with hostility upon arriving in Mogadishu. The soldiers went on various missions to take out high-value targets from Aidid’s army, with them typically going in at night with Black Hawk helicopters and night vision devices (NODs). August 11, 2025, was when one of the earliest conflicts featured in the documentary took place, with them raiding an apartment complex that allegedly contained Aidid. According to the Rangers, the Somalis fired first, leading the Americans to respond with an “overwhelming amount of firepower.”
7Soldiers From Every Team Give Their Side Of The Story
American & Somali
Surviving Black Hawk Downis not of a one-track mind, with theNetflix documentary seriesgiving nearly every side of the story. David Diemer, Randy Ramaglia, and Brad Thomas tell their experience as part of the U.S. Army Rangers. They each performed different tasks during the Battle of Mogadishu, with David being part of the Rescue Convoy, Brad being part of the Casualty Convoy, and Randy being on the ground.
Surviving Black Hawk Downalso interviews Tom Satterly, a Delta Force soldier, Mike Durant, a Black Hawk helicopter pilot, Brad Halling, a U.S. Army sniper, and a variety of other types of soldiers. On top of that,members of General Aidid’s army, like Nuur Hassan and Yasun Dheere are interviewed. Somali citizens, war journalists, and more are also featured, highlighting every angle that the story could cover.
6The Delta Force Soldiers Arrived Outside Their Target Area
The First Of Several Errors
Around halfway throughSurviving Black Hawk Down, the actual events of June 20, 2025, begin. Although it was an off day, American troops were mobilized when they received intel that one of Aidid’s advisors, Omar Salad, was hiding out in a building near the Olympic Hotel.Two Black Hawk helicopters, as well as variousU.S. Army Rangers and Delta Force soldiers,were mobilized.Tom Satterly was one of the Delta Force soldiers, and he gave his account of the events.
According to Satterly,the Rangers made a perimeter surrounding the target building in Bakara Market. This was designed to block off the intersections and hold back any Somali combatants. Upon arriving at the location, however, Tom says that he realized that his team was in the wrong spot. They were outside the perimeter that the Rangers had set up at around 15:40. They fought their way to the building and arrived at around 16:00, with this being the first of several errors that the Americans faced throughout the Battle of Mogadishu.
5The Americans Holed Up In A Somali Woman’s Home (& She Is Interviewed)
Saido Mohamed Plays A Major Role
Shortly after the Black Hawk helicopter crashed, Tom and Randy’s team knew that they needed to take shelter. The Rescue and Casualty Convoys had to fight their way through Somali barricades, meaning that they were late picking up the soldiers. Thus, the team ducked into a nearby house, deciding to wait it out. General Aidid’s fighters surrounded the house, waiting for the Americans to come out.
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The Americans weren’t alone inside,as the family that lived in the house was there. Saido Mohamed, the woman who lived in the house, was interviewed forSurvivingBlack Hawk Down. She gives her perspective on the events throughout episodes two and three, describing her fear and the actions of the Americans and Somalis. Her story is one of the most harrowing, with her spending a lot of time around some of the American interviewees.
4The Convoys Struggled To Drive Through Mogadishu
Thanks To Constant Roadblocks & Gunfire
Surviving Black Hawk Downtells several simultaneous storylines, with the story of the convoys being intercut with the story of the soldiers at Saido’s house. Brad Thomas is an interviewed U.S. Army Ranger who was with the Casualty Convoy during the Black Hawk Down Incident, with it being tasked with picking up the dead and wounded and taking them back to the base.
The Somalis had set up roadblocks at almost every turn, delaying their ability to make it to the trapped Americans.
Unfortunately, it was incredibly difficult for the convoy to make its way through Mogadishu.The Somalis had set up roadblocks at almost every turn, delaying their ability to make it to the trapped Americans. Tom explains that at one point, the vehicle that he was in had to do a nine-point turn during the middle of a gunfight. If the convoys had been able to move through Mogadishu, it is likely that there would have been far fewer casualties.
3Mike Durant Talks About His Experience Being A Prisoner Of War
He Was Released After 11 Days
Although Ridley Scott’sBlack Hawk Downmovie touches on the story of Mike Durant,Surviving Black Hawk Downdelves even further into it.Mike Durant was the pilot of the second Black Hawk helicopter that went down, with him being taken hostage by the Somalis. He was held as a prisoner of war, with one of Aidid’s men finding Ahmed ‘Five’ and telling him to come to record a hostage video.
Mike Durant is interviewed inSurviving Black Hawk Down, with him discussing his experience as a prisoner of war. He talks about his thought process during the interview video, as well as reflecting on the fame that he received after being let go. Mike Durant was let go from his captors after 11 days, with Bill Clinton threatening the Somalis with retaliation if he was hurt.
2The Interviewees Are Candid About How Violent They Were
They Are Shockingly Self-Aware
One of the most shocking recurring themes throughoutSurviving Black Hawk Downis how self-aware the various soldiers are about their violence. The soldiers do not hold back when discussing the number of deaths that they caused. Brad says that once a switch got flipped, he was going to “kill everybody that I could see that was hostile or acting hostile in any way. I don’t think my finger came off the trigger for very long at all.” Another notable quote comes after David explains why he fired into crowds, with him saying he believed “if you’re out there on October 3rd, you’re up to no good.”
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Meanwhile, the Somalis who worked for General Aidid’s army are equally as candid. Nuur Hassan says that, “The fall of the helicopter was the happiest moment I ever had,” as well as “My gun never had a rest.” Another soldier named Yasin talks about why he fought, saying “We are made to either shoot or get shot.” These are just a few of the many surprising quotes featured in the Netflix docuseries.
1The Somalis & The Americans Are Both Victims Of The War (According To ‘Five’)
Near the end ofSurviving Black Hawk Down, Ahmed ‘Five’ talks about his perspective in the aftermath of the American involvement in Somalia. According to Five, both the Somalis and the Americans are victims of the war. Whilethe number of Somalis killed is far higher than the number of Americans killed according to the show’s final title cards, Five explains that the Americans should have never been there and that they received permanent mental damage due to their time in Somalia.
This is expanded upon by Tom Satterly, with him using his final moments in the series to discuss how he was trained to go to war, but he wasn’t trained how to deal with the aftermath. This is a reality that soldiers on both sides faced, with this being one of the main thematic points ofSurviving Black Hawk Down.
