Conscience Over Command: The Incredible Story of an Air Force Pilot Ordered to Bomb Civilians in Somaliland
Former Somalia fighter jet MiG-17 bomber pilot and captain of the Air Force, Ahmed Mohamed Hassan mostly known as Ahmed Dheere, ignored his commander’s order and refused the bombardments of the city of Hargeisa in 1988.
The mission included dropping thousands of kilos of bombs in the city filled with innocent civilians and destroying the entire countryside. Former dictator of Somalia, Siyad Barre, and his regime were determined to erase the two major cities of Somaliland – Burao and Hargeisa – off the map of the world between 1988-1990 with heavy air and ground bombardments killing between 50,000 – 150,000 innocent lives.
This hero’s conscience led him to drop the bombs in a remote area of the countryside while en route to Djibouti to seek an asylum. He witnessed his colleagues in the Somali Air Force and other white Zimbabwean mercenaries piloting the fighter jets bombing the city of Hargeisa. Ahmed Dheere then risked his own life in landing the speeding fighter jet on a rough territory near the city of Tadjourah in Djibouti. The government of Djibouti assured his safety before transferring his case to the local UN office for further assistance.
After thirty two years of residing in Luxembourg, Strasbourg., Ahmed returned to the city of Hargeisa last week where he was received with a warm welcome from the residents, government officials and some former Somali National Movement (SNM) veterans. The Hargeysa Cultural Center – founded by Dr. Jama Muse Jama – hosted a public forum sponsored by the professor himself in honor for Pilot Ahmed Dheere to discuss and inform the youth about the bombardments of Somaliland in 1988. At the end, Pilot Ahmed Dheere shared with the audience about his upcoming book detailing this incident and the history around it for the future generations. .
About the author:
Zaki Maki (MA)
Human Services – Government
Zaki.isaac@outlook.com
Former Executive at Tempo Afric TV
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA