[1] Talan was a native of the Awdal region of Somaliland and a member of the Musafin (Musafiin), Habr 'Affan (Habar Cafaan) section of the Gadabursi (Gadabuursi) clan.

Trained at Sandhurst, Britain, he returned to the Somali Republic in the early sixties.

Henceforth, his life went hand in glove with the fledgling Somali State and he served it with dignity, dedication and selflessness.

Tallan had been named as the head of a committee to oversee the demobilization of the country's militias.

In December 2000, the President of Somalia announced that the police had arrested Tallan's alleged killers with foreign assistance.