Abdullah Mohamed Fadil ( so, Cabdallah Maxamed Fadhil, ar, عبد الله محمد فاضل; died January 1991), also known as Abdalla Mohamed Fadil, was a prominent Somali military figure.

Biography

Fadil was the son of a

Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...

musketeer A musketeer (french: mousquetaire) was a type of soldier equipped with a musket. Musketeers were an important part of early modern warfare particularly in Europe as they normally comprised the majority of their infantry. The musketeer was a pre ...

from Taiz governorate with the

Sultanate of Hobyo The Sultanate of Hobyo ( so, Saldanadda Hobyo, ar, سلطنة هوبيو), also known as the Sultanate of Obbia,''New International Encyclopedia'', Volume 21, (Dodd, Mead: 1916), p.283. was a 19th-century Somali people, Somali kingdom in present ...

and a

Majeerteen The Majeerteen ( so, Majeerteen, ar, ماجرتين; also spelled Majerteen, Macherten, Majertain, or Mijurtin) is a sub-clan. It is one of the major Somali groups, with a vast traditional territory spanning 3 major regions of Somalia: Bari, ...

mother of the Nuh Jabrail family. Both parents served under Sultan

Ali Yusuf Kenadid Ali Yusuf Kenadid ( so, Cali Yuusuf Keenadiid, ar, علي يوسف كينايديض) was a Somali ruler. He was the second ruler of the Sultanate of Hobyo. History Ali Yusuf was born into a Majeerteen Darod family. His father, Sultan Yusuf Ali ...

, heir to Sultan

Yusuf Ali Kenadid Yusuf Ali Kenadid ( so, Yuusuf Cali Keenadiid; 1837 - 14 August 1911) was a Somali Sultan. He was the founder of the Sultanate of Hobyo in April 1878. He was succeeded atop the throne by his son Ali Yusuf Kenadid. Family Yusuf Ali Kenadid was bo ...

. Fadil was the first Joint Chiefs of Staff and Commander of the

Somali Armed Forces The Somali Armed Forces are the military forces of the Federal Republic of Somalia. Headed by the president as commander-in-chief, they are constitutionally mandated to ensure the nation's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. Ch ...

(SAF), and was a senior member of the Supreme Revolutionary Council (SRC). A

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

in the military, he would also hold number of portfolios as a Minister, including as the Minister of Industry and Commerce, Minister of Health, Minister of Ports and Marine Transport, during the

Siad Barre Mohamed Siad Barre ( so, Maxamed Siyaad Barre, Osmanya script: ; ar, محمد سياد بري; c. 1910 – 2 January 1995) was a Somali head of state and general who served as the 3rd president of the Somali Democratic Republic from 1969 to 199 ...

administration. In the 1970s Abdullah Mohamed Fadil and

Muhammad Ali Samatar Mohamed Ali Samatar ( so, Maxamed Cali Samatar; 1 January 193119 August 2016), also known as Ali Samatar was a Somali politician and lieutenant general. A senior member of the Supreme Revolutionary Council, he also served as the Prime Minister o ...

advised President Barre to select top Frunze graduates to lead the campaign in Ogaden against Ethiopia to liberate Somali territories and restore the greater Somalia. This was part of a broader effort to unite all of the Somali-inhabited territories in the

Horn Horn most often refers to: *Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound ** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...

region into a

Greater Somalia Greater Somalia ( so, Soomaaliweyn, ar, الصومال الكبرى ''As-Sūmal al-Kubra'') is a concept to unite all ethnic Somalis comprising the regions in or near the Horn of Africa in which ethnic Somalis live and have historically inhabited ...

(''Soomaaliweyn'').

Ogaden War

A distinguished graduate of the

M. V. Frunze Military Academy The M. V. Frunze Military Academy (russian: Военная академия имени М. В. Фрунзе), or in full the Military Order of Lenin and the October Revolution, Red Banner, Order of Suvorov Academy in the name of M. V. Frunze (rus ...

General Fadil co-managed with General Samantar Somalia's military strategy. They selected the top military leaders from Frunze known as "Frunzites" preferring the Frunzites over the Italian trained Modena graduates . Fadil and Samnatar trusted their college mates, the top graduates of Frunze Military Academy in Moscow (Военнаяакадемия им М. В. Фрунзе), an elite Soviet institution reserved for the most qualified officers of the Warsaw Pact armies and their allies to lead the Ogaden Campaign. Fadil and Samantar selected the following: Col.

Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed ( so, Cabdulaahi Yuusuf Axmed, ar, عبدالله يوسف أحمد‎; 15 December 1934 – 23 March 2012) was a Somali politician and former colonel in the Somali National Army. He was one of the founders of the Somali ...

commanded SNA in Negellie Front. Col.

Abdullahi Ahmed Irro Abdullahi Ahmed Irro ( so, Cabdullaahi Axmed Cirro, ar, عبد الله أحمد إرو, June 7, 1937 - January 24, 2022), also known as Abdullahi Ahmad Yousef Irro,''ARR: Arab report and record'', (Economic Features, ltd.: 1978), p.602. was a pr ...

commanded SNA in the Godey Front. Col.

Ali Hussein ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...

commanded SNA in Qabri Dahare Front. (Later chosen to support Harar campaign) Col.

Farah Handulle Farah may refer to: * Farah (name) * Farah (actress) (born 1966), Indian actress * Farah, Afghanistan, a city in western Afghanistan on the Farah River * Farah, India, a town in Uttar Pradesh, India * Farah Province, Afghanistan * Farah River, a r ...

commanded SNA in the Warder Front. General

Yussuf Salhan Yussuf is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Adi Yussuf (born 1992), Tanzanian footballer * Ayila Yussuf (born 1984), Nigerian football player * Bashir Yussuf (born 1905), Somali religious leader See also * Joseph * Yusuf ...

Jigjiga Front General

Mohamed Nur Galaal Muhammad was an Islamic prophet and a religious and political leader who preached and established Islam. Muhammad and variations may also refer to: *Muhammad (name), a given name and surname, and list of people with the name and its variations ...

assisted by Col. Mohamud Sh. Abdullahi Geelqaad commanded Dirir-Dewa. The SNA retreated from Dirir-Dewa. ( Galaal became Minister of Public Works and Leading member of the ruling Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party) Col. Ali Isamil and Col.

Abdulrahman Aare Abd al-Rahman ( ar, عبد الرحمن, translit=ʿAbd al-Raḥmān or occasionally ; DMG ''ʿAbd ar-Raḥman''; also Abdul Rahman) is a male Arabic Muslim given name, and in modern usage, surname. It is built from the Arabic words '' Abd'', '' ...

Degeh-Bur Front. (Later chosen to reinforce the Harar campaign)

Assassination in January 1991

Top Somali officials, Fadil, Samantar, among others were targeted for clan reasons as documented by Sica and Kapteijns. Following the outbreak of the

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

in 1991 and the collapse of the Barre regime, Mario Sica, then Italian ambassador to Mogadishu, documented that although the

United Somali Congress The United Somali Congress (USC) was one of the major rebel organizations in Somalia. Formed in 1987, it played a leading role in the ouster of the government of Siad Barre in 1991, and became a target of the Unified Task Force campaign in 19 ...

(USC) professed that it was fighting against the Barre regime as a whole and not engaged in a clan-based struggle.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fadil, Abdullah Mohamed Ethnic Somali people Somalian generals Year of birth missing 1991 deaths Frunze Military Academy alumni