Operation Eastern Exit

Operation Eastern Exit
Operation Eastern Exit
Part of Somali Civil War
Type	Noncombatant Evacuation Operation
Location	Mogadishu, Somalia; 2°2′9″N 45°17′41″E / 2.03583°N 45.29472°E
Objective	Evacuate US embassy in Mogadishu, Somalia
Date	2–11 January 1991 (UTC+3)
Executed by	United States Marine Corps; United States Navy;
Outcome	Successful evacuation of 281 diplomats and civilians from 30 countries
Casualties	0
	US Embassy; Mogadishu, Somalia

Operation Eastern Exit was the codename given to the military evacuation of the United States embassy in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, in January 1991. In late December 1990, violence quickly enveloped the city as armed militants began clashing with government soldiers. On 1 January 1991, the US Ambassador to Somalia, James Keough Bishop, contacted the Department of State requesting an evacuation of the embassy, which was approved the following day. United States Central Command began planning and mobilizing forces that evening. The initial plan was to evacuate with a military transport plane through the Mogadishu International Airport, but this was later abandoned. A helicopter evacuation via the USS Guam and USS Trenton was the remaining option.

On the morning of 5 January, a 60-person Marine and Navy SEAL security detail was dispatched from Guam aboard two CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters to secure the embassy and prepare for the main evacuation. The two helicopters returned to Guam with the first 61 evacuees. Throughout the day, foreign diplomats and civilians sought refuge at the embassy. Four waves of five CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters each evacuated the embassy compound shortly after midnight on 6 January. The evacuees were transported to Muscat, Oman, where they disembarked on 11 January. In total, Operation Eastern Exit evacuated 281 (with a 282nd born aboard ship) diplomats and civilians from 30 countries, including 12 heads of missions (eight ambassadors and four chargés d'affaires).

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