The Somali nation mourns the passing of General Ahmed Suleiman Abdalla, widely known as “Dafle,” a distinguished military officer and former Director of Somalia’s National Security Service (NSS). He passed away after a life of service that spanned decades and left a lasting imprint on the country’s military and intelligence history.
General Dafle was born in 1937 in Burao, in the Togdheer region. He lost his mother, Arda Hussein, at the age of 13 and his father passed away in 1974. He began his early education in his hometown, where he studied the Qur’an, before continuing his formal schooling in Hargeisa in 1949.
In 1955, he joined the Technical Institute in Aden, Yemen and later earned a place at the Royal Military Academy in the United Kingdom, where he specialized in infantry warfare. Upon returning to Somalia, he served as an instructor at the Military Officers’ School in Mogadishu.
In 1965, General Dafle was promoted to the rank of Captain and appointed Commander of a military unit based in Galkayo. Two years later, he assumed command of another unit stationed in Zeila. In September 1967, he became Head of the Military Intelligence Office of the Somali National Army and served as Secretary to the then Commander of the Armed Forces, Major General Mohamed Siad Barre.
He was promoted to the rank of Major in 1968 and became one of the key officers involved in the 1969 bloodless military coup that brought Major General Mohamed Siad Barre to power. He continued to rise through the ranks, becoming a Lieutenant Colonel and later a full Colonel between 1970 and 1971.
On January 8, 1971, General Dafle was appointed head of the newly consolidated National Security Service (NSS), which merged the Special Branch and Military Intelligence. During his leadership, the NSS was significantly expanded and became one of the most advanced intelligence agencies on the African continent, playing a central role in securing the country’s internal stability.
General Dafle also represented Somalia in international solidarity efforts. In 1974, he was part of a Somali delegation sent to Mozambique to support the FRELIMO liberation movement in its struggle for independence, reflecting Somalia’s broader role in Africa’s decolonization movements.
Following the collapse of the Siad Barre regime in 1991, General Dafle distanced himself from the civil conflict that ensued and spent many years living abroad.
Many political leaders have sent in their condolences including former Chiefs of National Intelligence and Security Agency Ambassador Ahmed Moalim Fiqi, Fahad Yasin Haji Dahir, Mahad Mohamed Salad and Abdullahi Mohamed Ali (Sambalooshe) who wrote a tribute highlighting the life of General Dafle.