Somalia promotes former Army Chief Indha-Qarshe to General, third officer to reach rank

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has promoted former Somali National Army Chief of Staff Dahir Adan Elmi, widely known as Indha-Qarshe, to the rank of General, making him the third officer in the history of Somalia’s military to attain the rank, according to Mustaqbal Media.

Indha-Qarshe joins two other senior Somali military officers who previously attained the rank: 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.

Born in Gaalkacyo, Mudug region, in 1948, Indha-Qarshe joined the Somali National Army in 1968. He underwent various military training programmes in Somalia and abroad during his long military career.

He served twice as chief of the Somali National Army, first in 2013 and again in 2018, playing a significant role in military leadership and administration.

During the 1977–1978 Ogaden War between Somalia and Ethiopia, Indha-Qarshe was among the officers who led the army’s artillery units. The forces in which he served participated in the capture of Qabri Dahare and Dhagaxbuur in the Somali-inhabited Ogaden region of Ethiopia.

Following the military campaign, he was reportedly awarded a Gold Medal by then-President Mohamed Siad Barre in recognition of his role in the fighting.

His promotion recognises a military career spanning several decades and places him among the most senior officers in Somalia’s military history.

Mustaqbal