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 prominent
Somali military professor and
general
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
.
He helped establish the National Academy for Strategy.
Early years
Irro was born in the southern town of
Kismayo
Kismayo ( so, Kismaayo, Maay Maay, Maay: ''Kismanyy'', ar, كيسمايو, ; it, Chisimaio) is a port city in the southern Lower Juba (Jubbada Hoose) province of Somalia. It is the commercial capital of the autonomous Jubaland region.
The cit ...
,
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
, to 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, ...
Harti
Harti ( so, Harti, ar, هرتي), meaning "strong man", is a Somali clan family that is part of the Darod clan. The major sub-clans include the Majeerteen, Dhulbahante, Warsangali, Tinle, Maganlabe and Dishiishe, while other minor sub-clans ...
Darod
The Darod ( so, Daarood, ar, دارود) is a Somali clan. The forefather of this clan was Sheikh Abdirahman bin Isma'il al-Jabarti, more commonly known as ''Darood''. The clan primarily settles the apex of the Horn of Africa and its peripherie ...
family.
Irro's father Ahmed Yussuf Irro and two of his uncles served in the Italian colonial army. They were among Migiurtinia's youth who were forcibly conscripted after the fall of the ruling northern
Majeerteen Sultanate
The Majeerteen Sultanate ( so, Suldanadda Majeerteen 𐒈𐒚𐒐𐒆𐒖𐒒𐒖𐒆𐒆𐒖 𐒑𐒖𐒃𐒜𐒇𐒂𐒜𐒒, lit=Boqortooyada Majerteen, ar, سلطنة مجرتين), also known as Majeerteen Kingdom or Majeerteenia and Migiu ...
(Migiurtinia) and
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 ...
(Obbia) during the annexation campaign against the " Northern Sultanates',
a fascist expedition from 1922 to 1929 under the command of
Cesare Maria De Vecchi
Cesare Maria De Vecchi, 1st Conte di Val Cismon (14 November 1884 – 23 June 1959) was an Italian soldier, colonial administrator and Fascist politician.
Biography
De Vecchi was born in Casale Monferrato on 14 November 1884. After graduating ...
of the National Fascist Party led by Benito Mussolini.
Irro's mother, Zhabah Hosh Ellie, was the daughter of an aristocratic
wazir of the Obbio Sultanate.
Irro spent the better part of his adolescence in
Mogadishu
Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port ...
,
where he was educated in Italian primary and secondary schools. He subsequently studied at the local two-year teacher's training Instituto Universario Della Somalia, graduating with honours. Following the completion of his studies, Irro worked for a few years in the late 1950s as an instructor.
Military career
Training
After Somalia obtained its independence in 1960, Irro joined the nascent
Somali National Army
The Somali National Army ( Somali: ''Xooga Dalka Soomaaliyeed,'' lit. ''"Somali Ground Forces"'') is the ground forces component of the Somali Armed Forces, and is the largest out of the three service branches that make up the majority of the A ...
(SNA), becoming the force's 32nd officer.
Irro received military instruction at the
Egyptian Military Academy
The Egyptian Military Academy ( ar, الكلية الحربية) is the oldest and most prominent military academy in Egypt. Traditionally, graduates of the Military Academy are commissioned as officers in the Egyptian Army. However, they may se ...
in
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
,
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
in 1961.
He graduated from the college with a
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in
Military Science
Military science is the study of military processes, institutions, and behavior, along with the study of warfare, and the theory and application of organized coercive force. It is mainly focused on theory, method, and practice of producing mil ...
s.
Irro subsequently returned to Somalia where he worked in the office of the central command and the directorate of planning under
Daud Abdulle Hirsi
General Daud Abdulle Hirsi ( so, Daa'uud Cabdulle Xirsi, ar, داود عبد الله حرسي; 1925–1965) was a Somali police and military officer, who went on to become first Commander of the Somali Armed Forces.Bildhaan, p. 64.
Biography
...
, and
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 ...
in 1960s, and later under
Mohammad 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 ...
and
Abdullah Mohamed Fadil
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 Yemeni musketeer from ...
.
Irro along with other left-leaning comrades was later admitted to the
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 ...
in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
(Военнаяакадемия им М. В. Фрунзе), an elite
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
institution reserved for the most qualified officers of the
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact (WP) or Treaty of Warsaw, formally the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist republic ...
armies and their allies.
There, he specialized in Strategic Planning and wrote many articles on strategy, operations and contemporary warfare, with an emphasis on Proactive National Defense. Irro published several works in Arabic and Russian analysing conventional warfare in
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
,
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
and
Latin America
Latin America or
* french: Amérique Latine, link=no
* ht, Amerik Latin, link=no
* pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
. A distinguished graduate of Frunze, Irro's research focused on the various strategies employed during the
Sino-Indian War
The Sino-Indian War took place between China and India from October to November 1962, as a major flare-up of the Sino-Indian border dispute. There had been a series of violent border skirmishes between the two countries after the 1959 Tib ...
of 1962 and the
Indo-Pakistani conflicts of 1965.
Irro eventually completed the rigorous high command training at Frunze, and later received the military doctoral degree (кандидат наук).
Other Somali graduates from the Frunze military institutions included
Mohamed 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 ...
,
Salaad Gabeyre Kediye
Salaad Gabeyre Kediye ( so, Salaad Gabeyre Kediye, 1933 – 3 July 1972), also known as Salah Gaveire Kedie, was a Somali senior military official and a revolutionary who was executed by the Siad Barre regime.
Biography
Kediye was born in Harard ...
,
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 ...
,
Abdullah Mohamed Fadil
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 Yemeni musketeer from ...
,
Ali Hussein and
Mohamed Farrah Aidid
Mohamed Farrah Hassan Aidid ( so, Maxamed Faarax Xasan Caydiid; ar, محمد فرح حسن عيديد; 15 December 1934 – 1 August 1996) was a Somali general and diplomat.
Educated in both Rome and Moscow, he served as a chief in the Italian ...
.
Somali National Army
Upon returning to Somalia, Irro occupied various posts in the Somali National Army. He served in the planning and operations sector, heading the directorate of planning in addition to similar positions in the 21st and 60th Divisions.
Irro worked his way up the SNA, obtaining the rank of
Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
. During the 1970s, he was the deputy Commandant of 21st Division and
Commandant
Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...
of the 60th Division.
Ogaden War
Under the leadership of General
Mohamed 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 ...
, Irro and other senior Somali military officials were mandated in 1977 with formulating a national strategy in preparation for the
Ogaden campaign in
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
.
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'').
Colonel Abdullahi Irro commanded the SNA units in the Godey Front, seizing the area on July 24, 1977.
Godey was guarded by the Ethiopian Army's 4th Division, which was based in five local military bases.
The 60th division forces under Col Irro consisted of 2nd Armoured Brigade equipped with T-54 MBTs, Infantry as well as an Artillery Brigade 36 artillery and Tank Battalion equipped with T-34 MBTs.
Ethiopia acknowledged the loss of Godey and the direct involvement of Somali troops in July 1977. Subsequently,
the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) signed a 385 million dollar arms agreement with Ethiopia in early September. Soviet weapons shipments to Somalia had reportedly ceased altogether by late September 1977.
Under Irro's leadership, Somalia's 60th Division brigades succeeded in defeating the 4th Ethiopian Division in Godey, causing it to collapse and cease to exist altogether as a functional force.
Godey's capture also allowed the Somali side to consolidate its hold on the Ogaden, concentrate its forces, and advance further to other regions of Ethiopia.
[Gebru Tareke]
"From Lash to Red Star: The Pitfalls of Counter-Insurgency in Ethiopia, 1980-82", ''Journal of Modern African Studies''
40 (2002), p. 471 Units from Somalia's 60th occupied Haile Salase's Imperial Palace where they captured senior Ethiopian officers. The Swedish aviator
Carl Gustaf von Rosen was also killed during the battle of Godey.
Following this successful operation at Godey, Irro was appointed Chief Commanding Staff Officer in the 60th Division.
He was assigned organization and mobilization duties vis-a-vis various army
brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division.
Br ...
s in the Southern Divisions, including six infantry brigades destined for Nagele, beyond Godey towards Bali and Sidamo.
Irro was also tasked with supplying logistical and technical support, part of the southern command's contingency plans.
In doing so, he was facing off against former Frunze Professor,
Vasily Ivanovich Petrov
Vasiliy Ivanovich Petrov (russian: Васи́лий Ива́нович Петро́в; – 1 February 2014) was a Russian military official and Marshal of the Soviet Union.
Background
Petrov was born in 1917 in Chernolesskoye, Stavropol Gove ...
, who was the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
General assigned to assist and rebuild the
Ethiopian Army
The Ethiopian Ground Forces () is the land service branch of the Ethiopian National Defense Force. It is senior of the two uniformed military branches. It engages in land warfare and combined arms operations, including armored and mechanized o ...
.
In spite of unreserved support by
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
,
USSR
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
,
Southern Yemen
South Yemen ( ar, اليمن الجنوبي, al-Yaman al-Janubiyy), officially the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (, ), also referred to as Democratic Yemen (, ) or Yemen (Aden) (, ), was a communist state that existed from 1967 to 19 ...
and
East Germany
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
, it took nearly three years for the Ethiopian Army to gain a full control of the Godey region. Brigadier-General Demisse Bulto, commander of the First Revolutionary Army, recovered Godey as part of Operation Lash by November 1980, nearly three and half years since the Somali Army occupied it in July 1977.
Ethiopia's
Derg
The Derg (also spelled Dergue; , ), officially the Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC), was the military junta that ruled Ethiopia, then including present-day Eritrea, from 1974 to 1987, when the military leadership formally " c ...
regime would later execute Bulto for his involvement in a failed coup d'état in Ethiopia in 1989.
At the recommendation of the national Ministry of Defense, Irro was awarded the Somali Medal of Valor by President Barre. The medal was issued in recognition of Irro's various contributions to the Military of Somalia. Irro went on to become a
General
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
in the Somali National Army.
The 1978 coup attempt
In 1978, fallout from the aborted Ogaden campaign culminated in an attempt by several Somali senior military officials to overthrow
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 ...
's administration.
[Nina J. Fitzgerald, ''Somalia: issues, history, and bibliography'', (Nova Publishers: 2002), p.25.] According to the memoir of the late Colonel Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, Irro informed him via a secured communication network that the
coup d'état
A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
had failed. The transmitted communication contained a coded two sentence message reading "Wife Aborted", dated 11:00 am, April 9, 1978.
Irro was arrested a few hours later by the ruling government of President Barre under suspicion of participation in the putsch.
Most of the people who had helped plot the coup were found guilty and executed by marshal court; but others, including fellow Frunze Military Academy graduate Colonel Abdullahi Yussuf Ahmed, managed to escape abroad.
[New People Media Centre, ''New people'', Issues 94-105, (New People Media Centre: Comboni Missionaries, 2005).] The coup leader Colonel
Mohamed Osman Irro was arrested and executed.
Colonel Abdullahi Irro was arrested and court martialled along with the Chief of the National Police General
Abdullahi Matukade and released few years later after court found no concrete evidence of collaboration with
Mohamed Osman Irro.
Later years 1979–1990
Abdullahi Irro later served as a Professor of Strategy at various Somali Military Institutes in the 1980s.
In this capacity, he helped put together the National Academy for Strategy, and had a hand in formulating strategic training syllabi for senior military personnel, the presidential advisory councils and legislators. He also played a leading role in forging working partnerships with several schools in Egypt (1983), France (1984) and the United States (1984).
A polymath, Irro remained politically neutral throughout his adult life. He declined various offers to join opposition groups that had begun to form in the wake of the Ogaden campaign, including the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF), Somali National Movement (SNM) and United Somali Congress (USC) led by his former comrades
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 ...
,
Abdulkadir Koosaar
Abd al-Qadir or Abdulkadir ( ar, عبد القادر) is a male Muslim given name. It is formed from the Arabic words '' Abd'', ''al-'' and '' Qadir''. The name means "servant of the powerful", ''Al-Qādir'' being one of the names of God in the ...
and
Mohamed Farrah Aidid
Mohamed Farrah Hassan Aidid ( so, Maxamed Faarax Xasan Caydiid; ar, محمد فرح حسن عيديد; 15 December 1934 – 1 August 1996) was a Somali general and diplomat.
Educated in both Rome and Moscow, he served as a chief in the Italian ...
, respectively.
Post-Civil War
General Irro, lived in
Vienna, Virginia
Vienna () is a town in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, Vienna has a population of 16,473. Significantly more people live in ZIP codes with the Vienna postal addresses (22180, 22181, and 22182), bordered approx ...
and occasionally participated in efforts to create a peaceful society in Africa. He was one of 30 senior Somali officials invited by the UN to advise the United Nations. Irro and his colleagues provided a framework document to address strategies for both short-term security challenges and longer-term capacity-building measures.
Death
According to ''The Washington Post'', General Irro died on January 24 at his home in Falls Church, Virginia. The cause of death was reported to be kidney failure.
See also
*
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 ...
*
Hussein Kulmiye Afrah
Hussein Kulmiye Afrah ( so, Xuseen Kulmiye Afrax, ar, أفراح حسين) (1920 – 1993) was Vice President of Somalia in the era of Siad Barre between 1972 and 1990. He was also a member of the Supreme Revolutionary Council.
Post Civil W ...
*
Abdullah Mohamed Fadil
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 Yemeni musketeer from ...
*
Ali Matan Hashi
Ali Matan Hashi (1927–1978; so, Cali Mataan Xashi, ar, علي متان حاشي), also known as Ali Matan, was a Somali senior military official and politician. He was the first Somali pilot, and a prominent member of the Supreme Revolutiona ...
*
Ismail Ali Abokor
Ismail Ali Abokor ( so, Ismaaciil Cali Abokor) was a Somali Politician and Major General. A senior member of the Supreme Revolutionary Council, He also served as Vice President of Somalia in the era of Siad Barre between 1971 and 1982. He wa ...
*
Abdirizak Mohamud Abubakar
Abdirizak Mohamud Abubakar (born in 1937 – died in 1997 in Salt Lake City, Utah) was one of the first Somali teachers in Galkayo School along with his uncle Abdullah Abubakar. Abdirizak Mohamud Abubakar educated many Somali students in both Ital ...
*
Salaad Gabeyre Kediye
Salaad Gabeyre Kediye ( so, Salaad Gabeyre Kediye, 1933 – 3 July 1972), also known as Salah Gaveire Kedie, was a Somali senior military official and a revolutionary who was executed by the Siad Barre regime.
Biography
Kediye was born in Harard ...
*
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 ...
*
Muse Hassan Sheikh Sayid Abdulle
Muse Hassan Sheikh Abdulle ( so, Muuse Xasan Sheekh Cabdulle, ar, موسى حسن الشيخ سعيد عبد الله), also known as Muse Sayyid Hassan, is a senior Somali military figure and politician. He has been the acting president of Somali ...
*
Mohamed Osman Irro
*
Dahir Adan Elmi
Major General Dahir Adan Elmi ( so, Daahir Aadan Cilmi, ar, ضاهر عدن علمي), also known as Dahir Aden Indha Qarshe, is a Somali military general. He is the former chief of the Somali Army.
General Dahir Adan Elmi hails from Sheekhaal ...
Notes
References
*
*
*
* (in Somali)
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Irro, Abdullahi Ahmed
1937 births
2022 deaths
Ethnic Somali people
Egyptian Military Academy alumni
Frunze Military Academy alumni
Somalian generals
Somalian scholars
People from Kismayo
Somalian emigrants to the United States