Black Hawk Down: How Somalia sees the Mogadishu battle three decades on

The third of October started as a day of celebration in Saida Omar Mohamud’s household as that morning she gave birth to a baby girl.

Relatives and neighbours gathered at her home to congratulate her, as the family prepared for a traditional name-giving ceremony.

But the mood shifted once the fighting started.

Chaos erupted as the first helicopter crashed in front of Saida’s home.

Within moments, she remembers at least 10 US soldiers storming into the house.

They gathered everyone into the living room, ordering them not to move and turned it into an impromptu field hospital.

The family watched in shock as wounded soldiers were laid on their dining table, receiving emergency medical treatment.

“Although they were afraid, they made us scared as well. They turned our house into a stronghold,” Saida says.

As well as her own searing memories, Saida left a permanent reminder of that day with what she decided to call her daughter,

As Somalis say, “no name is given without a reason” and so Saida’s little girl is now known as Amina Rangers.

The Netflix documentary features “raw, immersive storytelling with first-person interviews from both sides of the Battle of Mogadishu”, according to the publicity. It sheds light on the horrors experienced by Somalis like Binti during the conflict.

“This time, Somalis were given the opportunity to share their account of events. It is crucial that both sides of the story are always told,” Ahmed Five says.

But for Binti Ali, simply telling the story is not enough.

She lost loved ones in the war. Yet she feels the devastation inflicted on Somali families like hers remains largely unacknowledged.

“It was the Americans who destroyed my house, killed my husband, my two sons, and my brother, and left my family in lasting misery,” she says, her voice breaking.

“At the very least, they must admit what they have done and compensate us.”