Eighteen U.S. troops, in Somalia on a peace-keeping mission, were killed in a gunbattle Oct.3 with forces loyal to Somali warlord Mohammed Farah Aidid.
Captured was Army Chief Warrant Officer Michael Durant, 32, whose battered face shown on CNN and magazine covers helped turn American public opinion against U.S. involvement in Somalia.
On Oct. 7, President Clinton announced that he was sending reinforcements to Somalia to protect American troops. He also announced that U.S. troops would leave the country by March 31, 1994.
Durant and a Nigerian peacekeeper also held by Aidid were released Oct. 14.
