Former Somali National Army Commander Dahir Adan Elmi, widely known as General Indha-Qarshe, has been promoted to the rank of General by Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, according to Caasimada Online.
The promotion reportedly makes Indha-Qarshe the third officer in the history of the Somali National Army to attain the rank, following the late Mohamed Ali Samatar and Bashir Mohamed Jama, popularly known as Bashir Goobe, who currently serves as Somalia’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
indha-Qarshe served as Commander of the Somali National Army on two occasions, first in 2013 and again in 2018. During his leadership, Somali forces continued military operations against Al-Shabaab, the armed group affiliated with al-Qaeda.
Born in 1948 in Galkayo, Mudug region, Dahir Adan Elmi joined the Somali National Army in 1968. He received military training both in Somalia and abroad before taking on various leadership and administrative responsibilities within the military establishment.
During the 1977 Somalia-Ethiopia War, Indha-Qarshe served among the officers commanding artillery units in the Somali National Army. According to the report, he participated in military operations that resulted in Somali forces capturing Qabri Dahare and Dhagahbur in the Somali-inhabited Ogaden region.
He was subsequently awarded the Medal of Valor by Somalia’s former central government in recognition of his military service during the conflict.
His latest promotion marks another milestone in a military career spanning several decades, placing him among the senior officers associated with the history and development of Somalia’s armed forces.
