On 30 December , violence escalated " an order of magnitude " as militants entered Mogadishu , which was quickly enveloped by a general state of lawlessness . On 30 – 31 December , diplomats , including many stationed in offices elsewhere in the city , were collected and housed in the embassy compound , except two volunteers who remained in the embassy 's K @-@ 7 residential apartments located across Afgoy Road from the embassy . The volunteers in the K @-@ 7 building would be needed as look @-@ outs for the embassy compound 's main gate . On the morning of 31 December , the defense attaché was nearly killed when his vehicle was sprayed with bullets and that evening , a soldier at a roadblock shot the tires of a vehicle carrying another defense official . Attempts by the US and other nations ' diplomats , in particular the Italian embassy , to negotiate a ceasefire for foreigners to leave were unsuccessful . Afgoy Road became a " shooting gallery , " preventing those in safe @-@ havens outside the embassy from reaching it . On New Year 's Day , the first American civilians began to seek refuge at the embassy .