Barre Adan Shire Hiiraale
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Barre Aadan Shire

Barre Adan Shire (Somali: Barre Aadan Shire), also known as Barre Hiiraale, Barre "Hirale" Aden Shire, or Abdikadir Adan Shire¹, is the former Minister of Defense of the Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG), which was formed in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2004. He was previously the TFG Minister for National Reconstruction and Resettlement. Hiiraale was also the Chairman of the now defunct Juba Valley Alliance, which controlled Southern and Southwestern Somalia, including the third-largest city of Somalia, the strategic port town of Kismayo. He presides over the largest autonomous area in that country, as well as commanding an extensive Somali militia.

Biography

Barre Hiiraale was born in Gelaadi, which today is part of the Ethiopia-controlled Ogaden region. He moved to neighbouring Abudwak in the Galgadud region of Somalia, and from there on to Mogadishu for secondary school. Hiiraale went to the prestigious United States military school at West Point. That scholarship and patronage was part of cold-war treaties signed by Mogadishu and Washington in exchange for Washington's use of naval facilities in the coastal Somali cities of Kismayo, Mogadishu, and Berbera. Barre Hiiraale came back with a degree in Military Science, as well as Political Relations in Military Warfare. Barre Hiiraale was an army Colonel when the Somali civil war began. Recently, the supreme leader of the newly-formed Islamic Courts Union (ICU) has sent praises to Barre Hiiraale, calling him an honorable and a patriotic leader.^{citation needed} Hiiraale offered to mediate between the two feuding factions of the government based in Jowhar and Mogadishu, led by President Abdullahi Yusuf and the Parliamentary Speaker Sharif Hassan, respectively.^{citation needed}

Somali Civil War

In the years of the Somali Civil War, he became a commander in the Marehan Somali National Front (SNF). Under Col. Hirale's command, the SNF defeated the forces of Mohamed Farah Aidid and his USC in Gedo region. The SNF then took control of Kismayo and Lower Jubba region with the defeat and ousting of Mohammed Said Hersi "Morgan" and his SRRC Allied militias composed of the Ogaden SPM, the Harti SSDF, and Rahanweyn RRA.

Juba Valley Alliance

He was chairman of the Juba Valley Alliance (Isbahaysiga Dooxada Jubba), which declared autonomy from the rest of Somalia in 1998, and controlled Kismayo and the Juba Valley until the defeat of his forces by the ICU in 2006.

On August 6, 2001, after 10 days of heavy fighting in a battle involving 40 technicals and 1,000 militiamen, the JVA took the town of Jilib from the SRRC.²

With hopes to end the violence, Col. Hirale participated in the Somali Reconciliation Conference, held in Eldoret, Kenya, in 2002.³

Transitional Federal Government

Main articles: Rise of the Islamic Courts Union (2006) and War in Somalia (2006–present)

Col. Hirale serves as Defense Minister in Somalia's Transitional Federal Government. In November 2005, he was instrumental in making a compromise proposal to help establish the TFG.⁴

He suffered the loss of Kismayo in September 2006⁵, and further defeat during ICU's takeover of the Juba Valley in October 2006.⁶ On October 14, his wife was arrested in Kismayo, along with a number of other women.⁷

He regrouped his forces in Gedo region, and successfully lead the counterattacking TFG forces, who, alongside Ethiopian troops, won successive battles during December 2006, eventually forcing the ICU back to Mogadishu, where, on December 29, the TFG and Ethiopian forces took Mogadishu.

Retaking the Juba Valley

Fall of Mogadishu and advance on Kismayo, December 27-29, 2006

On December 29, TFG forces under Defense Minister (and former head of the Juba Valley Alliance) Barre Adan Shire Hiiraale entered Bu'aale, approximately 150 km north of Kismayo.⁸ Ethiopian jets continued to patrol over Jilib,⁹ and a column of 15 tanks was reported heading towards Bu'aale and Jilib. The Islamic militia reportedly mined the road to Jilib.¹⁰

Battle of Jilib

Main articles: Battle of Jilib and Fall of Kismayo

On December 31, the Battle of Jilib determined the control of the approaches to Kismayo. The result of the battle was the retaking of Kismayo on January 1, 2007, which was abandoned by ICU forces.

Peace Building

On December 31, 2006, the Defense minister and his army confronted two opposing militias who were disputing the control of a vehicle left behind. Apparently, upon the Defense minister approaching them, they both united their guns towards the Defense minister and his army, forcing them to defend themselves. The casualties reported numbered 10 for the combined militia and 2 for the Defense minister.¹¹

Pardon Offered to Islamists

On January 2, 2007, in Kismayo, Col. Hiiraale offered an amnesty to former members of the ICU forces. He also spoke about the strength of the new government: "You have heard a lot of times that the transitional government is weak... But I will confirm [to] you that the national army are in control of all regions in the country - east, centre and south."¹²

References