Battle of Hiraan

Battle of Hiraan
Part of Somaliland campaign, and the Italian Somali Wars
Date03 March 1913
Location
Beledweyne, Hiran, Somalia
Result Dervish victory
Territorial
changes		 The Dervish successfully repel the Invasions, and keep their stronghold in Southern Somalia
Belligerents
Dervish Movement

Kingdom of Italy

Commanders and leaders

Mohamed Abdullah Hassan

  • Isman Boos

Kingdom of Italy Colonel Bessone

Strength
900 1000-1300
Casualties and losses
Heavy Unknown

The Battle of Hiraan was fought on March 3, 1913 in Beledweyne between the Italian Somaliland and the Dervish movement.[1] The Italians never attacked again leaving the Dervish to rule over the south freely.[2][3][4]

Battle

In 1912 the Dervishes received intelligence that the Italians were gradually expanding in South Somalia and were closing in on Hiraan, an area free of colonial presence. The Italians most forward positions were in Mahaday (just above Jowhar), Alongside the Italians, Ali Yusuf Kenadiid who also suffered Dervish raids sent an army to aid the Italians.[5][6]

On March 3, 1915, the armies marched from their positions into Beledweyne. The Italians marched from:[7]

The Hobyo sultanate army marched from:

The Dervish were facing a siege from all directions that lasted 3.5 days. Under heavy artillery bombardments and fierce gun fights the Beledweyne forts did not suffer any major destruction due to Cali Jalax's great engineering skills.[8]

The Italians launched a three and a‑half day siege, deploying artillery and infantry attacks against sturdily built forts around Beledweyne. Despite the sustained bombardment, the Dervish defenders assisted by strong engineering under Cali Jalax prevented major damage to their fortifications.

The Italians ultimately abandoned their advance, retreating from the area. This retreat effectively ceded control of Hiraan to the Dervish movement, which later fortified its position by building new forts in the region. Italian forces never launched another southern offensive, enabling the Dervishes to maintain authority over much of southern Somalia during the First World War.[9]

Isma'il Mire took part in the defence of the forts and recorded the Battle of Geeraar in a poem.[10][11]

References

  1. ^ Andrzejewski, B. W.; Pilaszewicz, S.; Tyloch, W. (1985-11-21). Literatures in African Languages: Theoretical Issues and Sample Surveys. Cambridge University Press. p. 353. ISBN 978-0-521-25646-9.
  2. ^ Samatar, Said S. (1982-09-16). Oral Poetry and Somali Nationalism. Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/cbo9780511735370. ISBN 978-0-521-23833-5.
  3. ^ "Ismaaciil Mire- Ragow kibirka waa lagu kufaa kaa ha la ogaado |". www.somalimedia.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2021-05-26. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  4. ^ Castañeda, Stalin Raza (2016-09-01). "La La función del compliance en el análisis de la responsabilidad penal de la persona jurídica". Revista Cap Jurídica Central (in Spanish). 1 (1): 221–278. doi:10.29166/cap.v1i1.1934. ISSN 2550-6595.
  5. ^ Samatar, Said S. (1982-09-16). Oral Poetry and Somali Nationalism. Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/cbo9780511735370. ISBN 978-0-521-23833-5.
  6. ^ Raza Castañeda, Stalin (2016-09-01). "La La función del compliance en el análisis de la responsabilidad penal de la persona jurídica". Revista Cap Jurídica Central. 1 (1): 221–278. doi:10.29166/cap.v1i1.1934. ISSN 2550-6595.
  7. ^ Castañeda, Stalin Raza (2016-09-01). "La La función del compliance en el análisis de la responsabilidad penal de la persona jurídica". Revista Cap Jurídica Central (in Spanish). 1 (1): 221–278. doi:10.29166/cap.v1i1.1934. ISSN 2550-6595.
  8. ^ Samatar, Said S. (1982-09-16). Oral Poetry and Somali Nationalism. Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/cbo9780511735370. ISBN 978-0-521-23833-5.
  9. ^ Binder, Marc D.; Hirokawa, Nobutaka; Windhorst, Uwe, eds. (2009), "Complex Trait", Encyclopedia of Neuroscience, Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg, pp. 824–824, doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29678-2_1161, ISBN 978-3-540-23735-8, retrieved 2025-07-26
  10. ^ "Ismaaciil Mire- Ragow kibirka waa lagu kufaa kaa ha la ogaado |". www.somalimedia.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2021-05-26. Retrieved 2025-05-18.
  11. ^ Samatar, Said S. (1982). Oral Poetry and Somali Nationalism: The Case of Sayid Mahammad 'Abdille Hasan. African Studies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/cbo9780511735370. ISBN 978-0-521-10457-9.

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