Dhowre Sheneeleh
His actual capture by the field force is, under present conditions, in my opinion impracticable ... the operations already ordered for the capture of lllig and dealing a last blow at the Mullah are to be carried outAccording to Douglas Jardone, Eyl was the capital of Dervishes for four years, from 1905, until it was changed to Taleh in 1909, was at Eyl, also called Illig:[2] Thus the Mullah became an Italian-protected subject; and during the three years that followed, his haroun remained in the neighbourhood of Illig.According to Douglas Jardine, the Dervish fortifications at Illig or Eyl were exclusively inhabited ]Dervish] while the Mullah' Dervish allies had retreated south-east towards Illig, the Mullah himself, with all his sheep and goats, but abandoning his camels, bullocks, and ponies, had fled post-haste across the waterless Haud to Mudug.Being appointed castellan of the Eyl fortress by extension made Dhowre Ahmed Egal Sheneeleh the governor of its expansive vicinity too, which roughly corresponds to modern-day Nugaaleed-Bari:[3] Qalcaddii Daawad oo Ayl ka dhisnayd, Daraawiishina si gaara u fiirin jirtay, ayaa waxaa madax looga dhigay Darwiishka la oron jiray Dhowre Ahmed Egal The fortress of Daawad that was built in Ayl gave the Dervishes a good vantage point to see from all sides; Dhowre was appointed as its Castellan The Secretary of the British War Office described Daarta Dhowre Sheneeleh as follows: About the month of August , 1903 , the Mullah had seized Illig , then a small fishing village situated at the mouth of the Nogal River , and , as reported by an Italian warship , had commenced to construct a formidable fortified camp there, only partially visible from the sea The book Ferro e fuoco in Somalia by former Italian Somaliland governor Francesco Caroselli records the causes and circumstances of the Dervish abandonment of Eyl and other forts.
[4][5] Bisha Abriil, horraanteedii, waxaa ka yimid Daraawiishta Beled Weyne, warqad dhambaal Wadaadku ku soo toosiyey Talyaaniga, una nisbeynaayo kala tagga dadkiisa raacsanaa ee Dhulbahante ahaa, codsanayana inaan u dhex galno isaga iyo Ingiriiska.
Ku socota Talyaaniga.Ogow, markaad Majeerteen hubka gacanta ka saarteen, si ay noo baabi’iyaan, waxaannu kaa barinnay inaad hub na siiso ... Ingiriiska oo saas ogaa, ayaa dagaal nagu qaaday, isagaoo dhammaan wata col iyo 6 dayuuradood, ... Dhulbahantaha intii badnayd waxay isu dhiibtay Ingiriiska, gacantana ka saareen 21 qalcadood oo banaadiikh, rasaas iyo lacagi ka buuxdo ... Tan ku saabsan dhimasha, ogow, annaga iyo Ingiriisku dagaal kuma kulmin, ... la diley, kun carruur ah, naago gaboobey.
As such ... we request from you, ... to become mediators between ourselves and the British, as we aspire that they restore to us our stolen wives, our stolen children, our stolen livestock, and our stolen country; in this way we may enter into equitable cooperation of peace and tranquility According to a war report by British army colonel Alexander Rochfort, Dhowre Ahmed Egal Sheneeleh was the most senior governor or commander at the southernmost Dervish base at Qollad, near present day Hiran, whereupon he clashed with an Abyssinian force allied to the British: One of their wounded who was captured states that these men who are Dervishes and wear as such distinguishing bands round the head and arm , were sent by mullah sheikh Ali Sheneeleh, a man of considerable influence between Hiran [6]Ali Xaaji Meggar, full name Cali Xaaji Axmed Aaden Meggar, as the Naval commander for the defence of Darawiish Coastal defence and fortifications at Eyl in a 1904 British intelligence report.
The report claims that Ali Haji Meggar and Darawiish used a 7 pounder cannon to defend the Illig fort complex, and that he was injured and arrested in the process.
