Abdullahi Ahmed Irro (; - ), Abdullahi Ahmed Yusuf Irro,''ARR: Arab report and record'', (Economic Features, ltd.: 1978), p.602. was a prominent Somali military professor and late

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

. He helped establish the National Academy for Strategy.

Early years

Irro was born in the southern town of Kismayo,

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

, to a Majeerteen Harti

Darod The Darod (, ) is a Somali clan. The forefather of this clan is Sheikh Abdirahman bin Isma'il al-Jabarti, more commonly known as Darod. The clan primarily settles the apex of the Horn of Africa and its peripheries, the Somali hinterlands adjacent ...

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 (Migiurtinia) and Sultanate of Hobyo (Obbia) during the annexation campaign against the " Northern Sultanates', a fascist expedition from 1922 to 1929 under the command of Cesare Maria De Vecchi 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, 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 connecting traders across the Indian Ocean for millennia and has ...

, 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 (SNA), becoming the force's 32nd officer. Irro received military instruction at the Egyptian Military Academy in

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

in 1961. He graduated from the college with a

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

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 mi ...

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, and

Siad Barre Mohammed Siad Barre (, Osmanya script: , ''Muhammad Ziād Barīy''; 6 October 1919 – 2 January 1995) was a Somali military officer, politician, and revolutionary who served as the third president of Somalia from 21 October 1969 to 26 Janu ...

in 1960s, and later under Mohammad Ali Samatar and Abdullah Mohamed Fadil. Irro along with other left-leaning comrades was later admitted to the

Frunze Military Academy The M. V. Frunze Military Academy (), 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 (), was a military academy of the Soviet and later the Russian Armed Forces ...

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

(Военнаяакадемия им М. В. Фрунзе), an elite

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

institution reserved for the most qualified officers of the

Warsaw Pact The Warsaw Pact (WP), formally the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance (TFCMA), was a Collective security#Collective defense, collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Polish People's Republic, Poland, between the Sovi ...

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. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

and

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

. A distinguished graduate of Frunze, Irro's research focused on the various strategies employed during the

Sino-Indian War The Sino–Indian War, also known as the China–India War or the Indo–China War, was an armed conflict between China and India that took place from October to November 1962. It was a military escalation of the Sino–Indian border dispu ...

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) under the supervision of Soviet military strategist Alexei Radzievsky . Other Somali graduates from the Frunze military institutions included Mohamed Ali Samatar, Salaad Gabeyre Kediye,

Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed (, ‎; 15 December 1934 – 23 March 2012), was a Somali politician and former military official who served as the first President of Puntland from 1998 to 2004. He also played a key role in establishing the Transitional ...

, Abdullah Mohamed Fadil, Ali Hussein and

Mohamed Farrah Aidid Mohamed Farrah Hasan Garad ( ; ; 15 December 1934 – 2 August 1996), popularly known as General Aidid or Aideed, was a Somali military officer, diplomat, and warlord. Educated in both Rome and Moscow, he began his career during the 1950s servi ...

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 (armed forces), 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 colon ...

. 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 ...

of the 60th Division.

Ogaden War

Under the leadership of General Mohamed Ali Samatar, 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, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

. This was part of a broader effort to unite all of the Somali-inhabited territories in the Horn region into a

Greater Somalia Greater Somalia, also known as Greater Somaliland (; ), is the geographic location comprising the regions in the Horn of Africa in which ethnic Somalis live and have historically inhabited.During the Scramble for Africa at the end of the 19th cent ...

(''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 Count Carl Gustaf Ericsson von Rosen (19 August 1909 – 13 July 1977) was a Swedish pioneer aviator, humanitarian, and mercenary pilot. He flew relief missions in a number of conflicts as well as combat missions for Finland (whose first mili ...

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 unit, 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 ...

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, who was the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

General assigned to assist and rebuild the Ethiopian Army. In spite of unreserved support by

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, Southern Yemen and

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

, it took nearly three years for the Ethiopian Army to gain a full control of the Godey region. Brigadier-General Demissie 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 or Dergue (, ), officially the Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC), was the military junta that ruled Ethiopia, including present-day Eritrea, from 1974 to 1987, when they formally "Civil government, civilianized" the ...

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

in the Somali National Army.

Media Controversy in 1978

According to Abdullahi Hantiwadaag, the former head of Radio Mogadishu, the Somali National News Agency (SONNA) escorted a group of international journalists to Godey on July 25, 1977, a day after the Somali Army captured Godey. Col. Abdullah Ahmed Irro met with the delegation of journalists in Godey. Some Italian journalists questioned Irro as a Somali officer of the rank colonel or General masquerading as WSLF commander. The Italian reporter insisted Italians know Somalis well and Irro could not possibly be a member of the rebel group fighting Ethiopia. The implication is that Somalia's regular army invaded Ethiopia.

The 1978 coup attempt

In 1978, fallout from the aborted Ogaden campaign culminated in an attempt by several Somali senior military officials to overthrow

'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 (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

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

, Abdulkadir Koosaar and

, respectively.

Post-Civil War

General Irro, lived in

Vienna, Virginia Vienna () is a town in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 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 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 ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', General Irro died on January 24 2022 at his home in Falls Church, Virginia. The cause of death was reported to be kidney failure.

References

External links

* * * * * (in Somali) * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Irro, Abdullahi Ahmed 1937 births 2022 deaths 20th-century Somalian military personnel Ethnic Somali people Egyptian Military Academy alumni Frunze Military Academy alumni Somalian generals Somalian scholars People from Kismayo Somalian emigrants to the United States Military strategists