Ismail Qasim Naji
{{Infobox military person
|image= |
|name= Ismail Qasim Naji
إسماعيل قاسم ناجي
|allegiance= Transitional Federal Government of Somalia
|serviceyears= 2005–present
|rank= General
|commands=Somali National Army (SNA)
Transitional National Government (TFG) Army Commander
Chief of Staff, Army of the Somali Republic
|unit=
|battles=Somali Civil War
Somalia War (2006–2009)
|awards=
|laterwork=
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1969|12|17|df=y}}
| birth_place = Borama, Somalia
}}
General Ismail Qasim Naji ({{langx|so|Ismaaciil Qaasim Naaji}}, {{langx|ar|إسماعيل قاسم ناجي}}) (born December 17, 1969) in Borama, Somalia{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XT8OAQAAMAAJ&q=naji+qasim+ismail | title=African Chronicle: A Fortnightly Record on Governance, Economy, Development, Human Rights, and Environment| volume=8| last1=Chacko| first1=C.P| date=August 2010}} was the chief of staff of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia and currently the Somali ambassador in Oman. He has served as a senior officer of the Somali army since the administration of Siad Barre, who was removed from power in 1991. Before the formation of the TFG, he also commanded the army of the predecessor Transitional National Government (TNG) of Somalia between 2002 and 2004.
Military service
{{further|Military of Somalia}}
=Somali National Army=
=Transitional National Government=
From 2004 to 2004, Gen. Naji served as the military chief of the Transitional National Government (TNG).{{cite web
|title = The Lives of 18 American Soldiers Are Not Better Than Thousands of Somali Lives They Killed, Somalia's TNG Prime Minister Col. Hassan Abshir Farah says
|url = http://www.somaliawatch.org/archivedec01/020122101.htm
|date = 2002-01-22
|accessdate = 2007-01-17
|publisher = Somalia Watch
|url-status = dead
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070103000012/http://somaliawatch.org/archivedec01/020122101.htm
|archivedate = 2007-01-03
|title=Somalia: Warlords lay down weapons
|url=http://somalinet.com/news/world/Somalia/6756
|publisher=SomaliNet
|date=2007-01-17
|accessdate=2007-01-17
|url-status=dead
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014144024/http://www.somalinet.com/news/world/Somalia/6756
|archivedate=2008-10-14
}} During this time, the TNG was opposed militarily and politically by the rival Somalia Reconciliation and Restoration Council (SRRC), backed by Hussein Mohamed Farrah Aidid (son of the late warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid), Mohamed Dhere, and others. Eventually the leadership of the SRRC and the TNG reconciled.
=Transitional Federal Government=
In November 2004, the TNG was succeeded by the establishment of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG). On April 15, 2005, Gen. Naji was appointed Chief army commander of the TFG.{{cite news
|title = Somali cabinet fills key posts
|url = http://english.aljazeera.net/News/archive/archive?ArchiveId=11289
|date = 2005-04-15
|publisher = Al-Jazeera
|accessdate = 2007-01-17
|url-status = dead
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20061211155428/http://english.aljazeera.net/news/archive/archive?ArchiveId=11289
|archivedate = 2006-12-11
}}
In October 2005, a report by the UN Monitoring group quoted Gen. Naji as having accepted a large shipment of goods from Yemen in contravention of UN sanctions on arms imports, including 5,000 weapons, hand grenades and antipersonnel mines.{{cite web
|title=LM Report 2006: Yemen
|url=http://www.icbl.org/lm/2006/yemen.html
|publisher=Landmine Monitor
|date=2006-09-12
|accessdate=2007-01-17 }}
In November 2006, Gen. Naji acknowledged the defection of TFG militia to the Islamic Courts Union (ICU).{{cite news
|title= Somali women demonstrate to support state
|url=http://www.somalilandtimes.net/sl/2005/251/050.shtml
|date=2006-11-10
|publisher=Sapa-AP
|accessdate=2007-01-17 }}
On January 17, 2007, Gen. Naji reported what was believed to be Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed's briefcase, filled with documents, was recovered by government forces from a jungle hideout in southwestern Somalia{{cite news
|title=Islamist Fighters Captured Fleeing Somalia
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/17/world/africa/17cnd-somalia.html?hp&ex=1169096400&en=eb0a6ddb7b214c37&ei=5094&partner=homepage
|date=2007-01-17
|work=New York Times
|accessdate=2007-01-17
| first=Jeffrey
| last=Gettleman}} as conflicting reports emerged the ICU leader had been arrested near the Dadaab refugee camp in the Garissa district of Kenya.{{cite news|title=Top Islamist commander arrested |url=http://www.eastandard.net/hm_news/news.php?articleid=1143963732 |date=2007-01-17 |accessdate=2007-01-17 |publisher=East African Standard |url-status=usurped |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070902090131/http://www.eastandard.net/hm_news/news.php?articleid=1143963732 |archivedate=September 2, 2007 }}
On February 10, 2007, he was replaced as army chief-of-staff by Abdullahi Ali Omar.{{cite news|title=Somalia's army commander sacked as new ambassadors are appointed |url=http://www.shabelle.net/news/ne2279.htm |date=2007-02-10 |publisher=Shabelle Media Network |accessdate=2007-02-10 |url-status=usurped |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927200623/http://www.shabelle.net/news/ne2279.htm |archivedate=September 27, 2007 }}
Subsequent career
The same day he was dismissed as army chief-of-staff (February 10, 2007), Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Ghedi appointed Ismael Qasim Naji to the position of Ambassador to Oman.
References
{{reflist|2}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Naji, Ismail Qasim}}
Category:Members of the Transitional Federal Parliament
Category:Chiefs of Defence Force (Somalia)