Imran Hussein Kombe (died 30 June 1996) was a Tanzanian military and intelligence officer. During the Uganda–Tanzania War of 1979, he commanded the Tanzania People's Defence Force's 201st Brigade as it invaded Uganda. From 1980 until 1983, he served as TPDF Chief of Staff, before being made Director of the Tanzania Intelligence and Security Service. He held the latter post until 1995. He was shot and killed by police the following year after they mistook him for a car thief.
Career
Uganda–Tanzania War
In 1979, Kombe held the rank of brigadier in the Tanzania People's Defence Force (TPDF). During the Uganda–Tanzania War, he commanded the 201st Brigade as the TPDF invaded Uganda. In March 1979, the TPDF decided to attack the town of Lukaya, Uganda, where the only road from Masaka to Kampala passed through. The TPDF's 207th Brigade was dispatched through the swamp to the east. The 208th Brigade was sent west to conduct a wide sweep that would bring it around the northern end of the swamp, and Kombe's 201st Brigade was to advance up the road directly into the town. The 201st consisted almost entirely of militiamen, many of whom had not seen combat. However, the unit was bolstered by a battalion of Ugandan rebels. On 10 March, the brigade seized the town without incident. Later that day, a Ugandan-Libyan force advanced to the outskirts of the town and encountered the Tanzanians. The Libyans bombarded the locale with rockets, and the inexperienced militiamen broke and fled. Kombe and his subordinates tried to reassemble their brigade so it could continue fighting, but the soldiers were shaken and could not be organised. TPDF commanders altered their strategy and organised a counterattack, ordering the 208th Brigade to move around Lukaya to outflank the Ugandans and Libyans. The 208th Brigade reached its flanking position on 11 March and together with Kombe's brigade—by then organised—launched a new attack, successfully capturing the town.
On 10 April, as the TPDF advanced on Kampala, Kombe's brigade established roadblocks north of Kampala and intercepted both forces attempting to reinforce Kampala from the town of Bombo and those attempting to effect a breakout. Over the course of the day, they destroyed seven vehicles and killed 80 Ugandan soldiers. Once the city was captured, the 201st Brigade moved northward to secure the road and capture Bombo. Many retired Nubian officers of the Uganda Army resided in the area and made preparations for the defence of the town. Kombe had his forces deploy under the cover of night to surround the locale. The next morning the Tanzanians attacked and seized Bombo. After Bombo's capture, the 201st Brigade was tasked with securing Nakasongola Air Base. Aside from a brief encounter with a Ugandan tank on the road, the installation was seized without incident.
Kombe's forces and a smaller number of rebels of the Uganda National Liberation Front (UNLF) were then ordered to capture the important town of Lira in the north. Kombe realised that the most obvious way to approach Lira was from the west, along the main road which was located at Lake Kyoga's western side. The Uganda Army garrison was probably expecting that the Tanzanians would take this route. To surprise the Ugandan loyalists, Kombe consequently decided to instead cross Lake Kyoga by boat, then take the small roads through the nearby swamps, and attack Lira from the south. This plan had the additional benefit of preventing the 201st Brigade from running into other Tanzanian units, reducing the risk of possible intermingling and confusion. One major drawback to Kombe's idea was, however, that Lake Kyoga lacked ships large enough to transport all his men across, let alone tanks and artillery. With some help from locals, the 201st Brigade's scouts managed to find at least one small and old, but functional ferry at Namasale on Lake Kyoga's eastern side. The pilot initially refused to let the soldiers use his ship, which was owned by a Uganda Army officer. Kombe gave him food and cooking oil and assured him that he could keep the ferry once the war was over. He then agreed to help the Tanzanians and started to transport the 201st Brigade from Lwampanga (near Nakasongola) across the lake in twenty-hour shifts. After almost a week, the entire brigade was moved.