24 January 2007

State Department Outlines Terrorist Threat in Somalia

Lists al-Qaida operatives and affiliated Council of Islamic Courts members

The following State Department fact sheet on fighting terrorism in Somalia lists al-Qaida operatives in that country, along with members of the Council of Islamic Courts affiliated with the al-Qaida network.  This fact sheet updates the version originally published January 22.

(begin fact sheet)

U.S. Department of State
Office of Public Affairs
January 24, 2007

Somalia: Eliminating the Terrorist Threat

Al-Qaida Operatives in Somalia

• Fazul Abdullah Mohammed (aka Harun Fazul): Senior al-Qaida operative in East Africa; was indicted for his alleged involvement in the bombings of the United States Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya, on August 7, 1998.

• Abu Talha al-Sudani: Senior al-Qaida figure in East Africa since early 1990s; implicated in the 1998 bombings of the United States Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya; skilled with mortar weapons, planned a trip to Somalia in 1993 with other al-Qaeda figures to oppose U.S. forces there; cased the U.S. military base in Djibouti in 2003 in preparation for possible attacks.

• Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan: Senior al-Qaida operative in East Africa; Wanted for questioning in connection with the 2002 attacks against a hotel and an Israeli airliner in Mombasa, Kenya.

• Issa Osman Issa: Al-Qaida operative implicated in the 2002 attacks in Mombasa, Kenya; maintained contact with radical al Shabaab organization affiliated with the Council of Islamic Courts (CIC) and commanded CIC militia near the interim capital of Baidoa.

Members of the Council of Islamic Courts affiliated with al-Qaida

• Hassan Dahir Aweys: Designated under U.S. Executive Order 13224 and United Nations Security Council Resolution 1267 for his associations with al-Qaida. Chairman of CIC Consultative (Shura) Council.

• Mukhtar Robow (aka Abu Mansoor): Member of radical al Shabaab organization; military commander and deputy in the security department of the CIC Executive Council; provided logistical support for al-Qaida operatives inside Somalia.

• Hassan Abdullah al-Turki: Designated under U.S. Executive Order 13224 and United Nations Security Council Resolution 1267 for his associations with al-Qaida. Implicated in the murder of an American citizen inside Somalia in 1999. Member of CIC Consultative (Shura) Council.

• Aden Hashi Ayrow: Leader of radical al Shabaab organization; military commander for the CIC; trained with al-Qaida in Afghanistan prior to 2001. Responsible for assassination of Somali peace activist in July 2005 and implicated in the murder of an Italian nun in Mogadishu in September 2006.

• Ahmed Abdi Godane: Leader of radical al Shabaab organization; trained and fought with al-Qaida in Afghanistan. Implicated in the murders of Western aid workers in Somaliland in 2003 and 2004.

• Ibrahim Haji Jama (aka al Afghani): Leader of radical al Shabaab organization; trained and fought in Afghanistan and Kashmir before returning to Somalia in the early 1990s.

(end fact sheet)

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)