Colonel Ali Mahfoudh: The Commander They Feared

This work looks at Colonel Ali Mahfoudh, a renowned military strategist of the Tanzania People's Defence Forces (TPDF) who played an indispensable role in the liberation wars against the white minority regimes in the countries of southern Africa when they were fighting for independence.He played a critical role in the liberation struggle in all those countries. The apartheid regime of South Africa tried three times to kill him.He was the shadowy commander, the elusive strategist, feared by his enemies for his tactical brilliance on the battlefield and for his interrogation techniques to get information from captured enemies including some of the toughest who refused to talk until he started interrogating them and forcing them to talk.South African and Portuguese army officers avoided him on the battlefield because of his tactical genius. They knew his track record. He executed his battle plans with lethal efficiency.President Samora Machel of Mozambique appointed him his chief military and security advisor.His victories on the battlefield against the South African Defence Force (SADF) and its proxy RENAMO frustrated the South African army and intelligence officers and turned the tide against them forcing the apartheid regime to agree to a peace agreement with the Mozambican government they desperately tried to overthrow.The strategic coordination he established between the Tanzanian and Zimbabwean armed forces to fight South Africa in Mozambique was a final blow to the apartheid regime which had grossly underestimated the military capabilities of its enemies.He also left an indelible footprint in the war against South Africa in Angola and Namibia with his brilliant coordination of intelligence gathering and training of the freedom fighters from those countries. He trained them in military camps in Tanzania, as he did FRELIMO fighters of Mozambique who were also based in Tanzania, and served as a vital link between them and the government of Tanzania that was backing them in their armed struggle against the white minority rulers in the region.He was a Pan-Africanist commander and an indefatigable warrior whose dedication to the liberation of Africa was acknowledged when he was honoured and buried as a national hero in Mozambique following his death in the late 1990s.This is the first book ever written about Colonel Ali Mahfoudh focusing on his work and achievements as one of Africa's most brilliant soldiers.