Abdulla Shamaal

Lieutenant Colonel Abdulla Shamaal MA MSc psc (born 5 July 1969) is the Defense Attaché (DA) from Maldives to India.He has the honor to be country's first Defense Attaché to any country.

Early life

Lt. Col. Shamaal was born to a middle class family in the capital of Maldives, Male'.After joining the Maldives National Defence Force in April 1988, he has attended various training schools both locally and abroad. Lt.Col Shamaal was commissioned to the rank of Lieutenant after graduating from the Pakistan Military Academy with a Bachelors degree in 1994. Since then he has been trained twice in the United States Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia, USA in 1996 and 2000.

Before taking over the post of DA in India, he was Staff Officer, Foreign Training Coordination in the Ministry of Defense and National Security. He was also the Assistant to the Commanding Officer of the Quick Reaction Force, which was his parent unit and his arm, the Infantry. His previous appointments include Staff Officer to the Chief of Staff, Training Instructor and member of the MNDF Scholarship Board.

Trainings and Experiences

Lt. Col. Shamaal obtained a Masters Degree in Defense and Security Analysis at University of Lancaster, in the United Kingdom from 1998 to 1999 and his research focused on International Defense and Security Issues.Lt Col Shamaal is also a graduate of Defense Services Staff College, Wellington, India, and pursued his second Masters Degree (Obtained first class) in Defense and Strategic Studies from the University of Madras in 2003.

He has also attended various conferences and seminars on Security and Defense Strategy which include Near East South Asia (NESA) Center for Strategic Studies Executive Seminar at National Defense University (NDU) in Washington DC in May 2001, Non Lethal Weapons Seminar at Bangladesh Institute of Peace Support Operation Training (BIPSOT) in September 2003 and Asia Public Affairs Symposium in Singapore in February 2003 and other conferences in New Delhi.

Family

He is a nephew of Maldivian president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.He is currently married to Mrs.Fathimath Firasha and has two daughters Fathimath Yasmeen and Aishath Yara.

References

* [http://www.maldiveshighcom.co.in/maldives/HC/Shamal.htm Shamaal's biography in website of Maldivian High Commission in India]