Editing Jonathan Howe (section)

==Service in Somalia==
{{main|Abdi House raid}}
In 1992, Howe was selected by the [[Clinton Administration]] to head [[UNOSOM II]] - the UN operation in [[Somalia]] that took over from the US in May.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=Me against my brother : at war in Somalia, Sudan, and Rwanda : a journalist reports from the battlefields of Africa|last=Peterson|first=Scott|date=2000|publisher=Routledge|isbn=0415921988|location=New York|oclc=43287853}}</ref> In this capacity he came under criticism for remaining physically distant from field operations<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> and for his pursuit of Somali military leader [[Mohamed Farrah Aidid]], which was called a "personal vendetta."<ref name=":0" /> The State Department and the NSC staff supported the strategy that removing Aideed would mprove stability in the region.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://www.jcs.mil/Portals/36/Documents/History/Monographs/Somalia.pdf  |last=Poole |first=Walter S. |title=The Effort to Save Somalia, August 1992-March 1994 |publisher=Joint History Office, Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff |publication-place=Washington, DC |date=2005 |isbn=0-16-075594-8}}</ref>

On July 12, 1993, Howe oversaw the event Somalis call Bloody Monday.<ref name=":1" /> According to American war correspondent [[Scott Peterson (writer)|Scott Peterson]] a group of Somali elders had gathered at a house to discuss a way to make peace to end the violence between Somali militias and the UN forces.<ref name=":1" /> The gathering had been publicized as a peace gathering in Somali newspapers the day before the attack.<ref name=":1" /> After being tipped off by an undercover operative, American [[Cobra attack helicopter]]s launched [[TOW missile]]s and [[20 mm caliber]] cannon fire at the structure.<ref name=":1" /> According to a Somali survivor, American ground troops killed 15 survivors at close range with pistols, a charge American commanders deny.<ref name=":1" /> According to the [[International Committee of the Red Cross]] there were over 200 Somali casualties.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/did-the-us-cover-up-a-civilian-massacre-before-black-hawk-down|title=Did the U.S. Cover Up a Civilian Massacre Before Black Hawk Down?|last=Megas|first=Natalia|date=2019-01-06|access-date=2019-03-17|language=en}}</ref> Four Western journalists were killed at the scene by Somalis following the attacks.<ref name=":1" />

Howe claimed that the mission took out a "very key terrorist planning cell" and that no civilians were killed. He stated, "We knew what we were hitting. It was well planned."<ref name=":1" /> The event is considered a turning point in the war as Somalis turned from wanting peace to wanting revenge, ultimately leading to the [[Battle of Mogadishu (1993)|Black Hawk Down Incident]].<ref name=":2" /> [[Human Rights Watch]] declared that the attack "looked like mass murder."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/legacy/reports/1995/somalia/|title=SOMALIA|website=www.hrw.org|access-date=2019-03-17}}</ref>