 He was appointed as the Chief of Defense Staff on 22 March 2006, Defense Headquarters with duties to oversee the Army, the Navy and the National Guard.He was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General in May 2007, Major General and then to Lieutenant General in July 2009, becoming the first Gambian soldier to hold this title.He was seen as a key Jammeh loyalist until his dismissal on 9 October 2009 and was replaced by Masaneh Kinteh.