General Abdullahi Ahmed Irro.
Early life and training:
Born and raised in Kismayo, after Somalia's independence, Irro joined the fledgling army as it's 32nd officer.
He received military instruction at the Egyptian
Military Academy in Cairo, at the age of 22.
After years of service in Mogadishu central command, Irro attended Frunze Military Academy. A dedicated pupil, he wrote many articles on strategy, operations, and contemporary warfare.
He also published several works in Arabic and Russian analyzing conventional warfare in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Irro completed high command training, and recognized as a distinguished pupil in the academy, received the military doctoral degree.
Return to Somalia & The Ogaden War:
Upon his return to Somalia, Irro held many ranks in the Somali National Army, and worked all the way until the rank of Colonel. During the 70s he held the posts of Deputy Commandant of the 21st Division and then Commandant of the 60th Division.
Mandated by the Barre government to formulate military strategy for the upcoming Ogaden campaign, Irro and other senior military officials prepared for the campaign.
Given command of the SNA units in the Godey front, this campaign would properly test the young Colonel.
Irro's forces completely seized the Godey front a mere 12 days after the Ogaden War started on July 24th.
Under Irro's command, the SNA 60th Division brigades succeeded in beating the 4th Ethiopian Division in Godey into utter submission. Losses were so great, the 4th Division "collapsed and ceased
altogether as a functional force"
Units from the 60th occupied Haile's Emperial Palace and captured several senior Ethiopian officers.
Even with the unconditional support of the USSR, Cuba, South Yemen, and East Germany it took more than 3 years for Ethiopia to regain complete control of the Godey- being fully recovered in late 1980 after first being taken July '77.
After victory in Godey, Abdullahi Irro was given promotion to Chief Commanding Staff Officer of the 60th.
This impressive promotion put him head to head with his old Frunze professor, General Vasily Ivanovich Petrov of the Red Army- who was tasked with assisting and repairing the Ethiopian Army.
In late 1977, at the recommendation of the Ministry of Defense, Irro was awarded the Somali Medal of Valor by President Barre himself. Before the end of the 70s, the Colonel became a General.
'78 Coup Attempt and Later Years:
According to the memoir of President (at the time Colonel) Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed AUN his longtime friend and comrade Abdullahi Irro sent the "wife aborted" (meaning coup botched) message through a secure communication channel to Yusuf.
General Abdullahi was court-martialed and jailed but was free when no evidence of collaboration with the coup ringleaders was found.
Irro taught as a professor at various military institutes in Somalia in the 1980's, and forged working relationships with military schools in Egypt
(1983), France (1984), and the United States (1984).
In the wake of tension after the Ogaden campaign in Somalia (lead up to civil war), the politically neutral polymath General Irro turned down offers of membership from a list of opposition groups including the SSDF, SNM, and USC.
General Abdullahi Irro today lives in Vienna, Virginia and occasionally works towards promoting peace in Africa. This is him in 2012.
Let us all appreciate the work of this war hero and patriot!
Early life and training:
Born and raised in Kismayo, after Somalia's independence, Irro joined the fledgling army as it's 32nd officer.
He received military instruction at the Egyptian
Military Academy in Cairo, at the age of 22.
After years of service in Mogadishu central command, Irro attended Frunze Military Academy. A dedicated pupil, he wrote many articles on strategy, operations, and contemporary warfare.
He also published several works in Arabic and Russian analyzing conventional warfare in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Irro completed high command training, and recognized as a distinguished pupil in the academy, received the military doctoral degree.
Return to Somalia & The Ogaden War:
Upon his return to Somalia, Irro held many ranks in the Somali National Army, and worked all the way until the rank of Colonel. During the 70s he held the posts of Deputy Commandant of the 21st Division and then Commandant of the 60th Division.
Mandated by the Barre government to formulate military strategy for the upcoming Ogaden campaign, Irro and other senior military officials prepared for the campaign.
Given command of the SNA units in the Godey front, this campaign would properly test the young Colonel.
Irro's forces completely seized the Godey front a mere 12 days after the Ogaden War started on July 24th.
Under Irro's command, the SNA 60th Division brigades succeeded in beating the 4th Ethiopian Division in Godey into utter submission. Losses were so great, the 4th Division "collapsed and ceased
altogether as a functional force"
Units from the 60th occupied Haile's Emperial Palace and captured several senior Ethiopian officers.
Even with the unconditional support of the USSR, Cuba, South Yemen, and East Germany it took more than 3 years for Ethiopia to regain complete control of the Godey- being fully recovered in late 1980 after first being taken July '77.
After victory in Godey, Abdullahi Irro was given promotion to Chief Commanding Staff Officer of the 60th.
This impressive promotion put him head to head with his old Frunze professor, General Vasily Ivanovich Petrov of the Red Army- who was tasked with assisting and repairing the Ethiopian Army.
In late 1977, at the recommendation of the Ministry of Defense, Irro was awarded the Somali Medal of Valor by President Barre himself. Before the end of the 70s, the Colonel became a General.
'78 Coup Attempt and Later Years:
According to the memoir of President (at the time Colonel) Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed AUN his longtime friend and comrade Abdullahi Irro sent the "wife aborted" (meaning coup botched) message through a secure communication channel to Yusuf.
General Abdullahi was court-martialed and jailed but was free when no evidence of collaboration with the coup ringleaders was found.
Irro taught as a professor at various military institutes in Somalia in the 1980's, and forged working relationships with military schools in Egypt
(1983), France (1984), and the United States (1984).
In the wake of tension after the Ogaden campaign in Somalia (lead up to civil war), the politically neutral polymath General Irro turned down offers of membership from a list of opposition groups including the SSDF, SNM, and USC.
General Abdullahi Irro today lives in Vienna, Virginia and occasionally works towards promoting peace in Africa. This is him in 2012.
Let us all appreciate the work of this war hero and patriot!
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