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American Morning
American Movie Touches a Raw Nerve in Somalia as It Retells Story of Failed U.S. Military Mission
Aired January 22, 2002 - 07:05 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Up front this morning, a CNN exclusive. An American movie touches a raw nerve in Somalia as it retells the story of the failed U.S. military mission in the country nearly 10 years ago.
CNN exclusive footage of the screening last night in Mogadishu of a bootleg copy of the movie "Black Hawk Down" shows Somalians cheering during scenes of the 1993 aborted mission that left 18 American soldiers dead. Their reaction last night was reminiscent of the celebration that followed the actual mission and is the strongest indication today that anti-American sentiment in the country is alive and well.
It is an unwelcome omen for the Bush administration, now seriously considering the region for their next move in the war on terrorism.
CNN's Jeff Koinange was on hand in Mogadishu.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): By seven o'clock at night, virtually everyone in Mogadishu had heard "Black Hawk Down" the movie was here, the first bootleg copy to reach Somalia. The price of a ticket, 10 U.S. cents. Hundreds of Somalis crowded into this outdoor playground less than a mile from where the real Black Hawk went down.
In this country, where the U.S.'s military effort to catch the powerful Somali warlord Mohamed Aidid was opposed, the audience took delight in scenes of American defeat. Each time an American chopper goes down, the audience cheers. Each time an American serviceman is killed, the audience cheers some more.
The Hollywood production relives the events of October, 1993, when U.S. forces in Somalia suffered their largest one day casualties since the Vietnam War. Their mission? To capture Aidid from his stronghold in the war torn capital and take him to a ship anchored off the coast nearby. By the time the battle was over 16 hours later, 18 elite American Rangers and hundreds of Somalis lay dead in the streets of Mogadishu.
Achmed Abullah (ph) says he witnessed the actual battle and says the movie is more fiction than fact. "It's not fair what the U.S. is trying to do. What I saw that day was different from what I see in this film today. It's not accurate," he says.
Others say the movie brings back disturbing memories of a day they'll never forget. "I felt very sad watching the film," says this woman. "It's not right what the Americans are trying to do."
Some in this audience were actually proud of the way Somalians were portrayed in "Black Hawk Down." They believe they were defending their country and their pride against what they considered U.S. military aggression. "As you can see," says this man, "Somalis are brave fighters. If the Americans come back to fight us, we shall defeat them again."
"Let them try again," this man says. "They'll be making more films about us when we defeat them like we did that day."
The events of that day led to the eventual withdrawal of U.S. forces from Somalia, ending their mission here. Eight years later, Somalia continues to slide into the abyss as anarchy and lawlessness combine to make it one of the most ungovernable places in the world today.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOINANGE: While "Black Hawk Down" may prove entertaining to audiences worldwide, Somalis here see it as a painful reenactment of their past, a past that could come back to haunt them coming at a time when they desperately need outside help -- Paula.
ZAHN: Jeff, how widespread is this anti-American sentiment?
KOINANGE: See, for the most part, Somalis want to put this behind them, put the past behind them, because they've gone through a rough time the past eight years. When they see scenes like the movie, it reinforces what happened eight years ago and it brings it to the surface and they suddenly realize hey, it wasn't that long ago that we were seeing our people dying in the streets.
So it kind of brings it back to the fore -- Paula.
ZAHN: Jeff Koinange, thank you so much for that live report and thank you so much for those exclusive pictures from overnight.
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