Ahmed Abdi Godane

Ahmed Abdi Godaneأحمدعبد جودني
Born (1977-07-10)10 July 1977
Hargeisa, Somalia
Died 1 September 2014(2014-09-01) (aged 37)
Hawaay, Somalia
Known for Emir of Al-Shabaab
Military career
Allegiance

Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya
(1990's-2006)
Islamic Courts Union
(2006-December 2007)
al-Qaeda

Years of service 1990s–2014
Rank Emir of al-Shabaab[1]
Battles/wars

Somali Civil War

Ahmed Abdi Godane (Somali: Axmed Cabdi Godane, Arabic: أحمد عبدي جودان‎; 10 July 1977 – 1 September 2014, also known as Mukhtar Abu Zubair,[2] was the Emir (leader) of Al-Shabaab, an Islamist group based in Somalia with ties to Al Qaeda. Godane, who received training and fought in Afghanistan, was designated by the United States as a terrorist.[3] He succeeded Mukhtar Robow who had held the position for several months after Aden Ayro's death.[4] He was killed in a U.S. drone strike on 1 September 2014 in southern Somalia.[5]

Early life

Ahmed Abdi Godane was born in Hargeisa, Somalia on 10 July 1977.[6] He hailed from the Isaaq clan[7] of north Somalia,[8] like Ibrahim "al-Afghani" who was another key leader in Al-Shabaab before his killing by Godane loyalists in June 2013.[3] He studied Quran in Hargeisa and won scholarships to study in Sudan and Pakistan. He led a quiet, pious life, and reportedly wrote poetry.[9]

While in the Somaliland region of Somalia, Godane had worked for Al-Barakat, a Somali remittance company and the local franchise of Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya (AIAI).[7] Godane was accused of involvement in the murder of a British couple, Dick and Enid Eyeington, who ran a school in the region.[9]

Islamic Courts Union

In 2006, Godane became the secretary general of the Executive Council of the Islamic Courts Union, an organization which was then led by Sharif Ahmed who is the previous President of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia.[7]

Al-Shabaab

Al-Qaeda

In September 2009, Godane appeared in an Al-Shabaab video where he offered his services to Bin Laden.[10] The video appeared to be a response to a Bin Laden from March 2009 in which he urged the Somalis to overthrow the newly elected President of Somalia Sharif Ahmed.[11] In January 2010, Godane, speaking on behalf of Al-Shabaab, released a statement reiterating his support for al-Qaeda and stated that they had "agreed to join the international jihad of al Qaeda".[12] For his allegiance to Al-Qaeda, the U.S. government announced a $7 million bounty for information leading to Godane's capture.[9]

Tensions within Al-Shabaab

Godane and his close friend Ibrahim Haji Jama Mee'aad (aka Ibrahim Al-Afghani) both rose to prominence within Al-Shabaab at the same time but, despite their close relationship, the two men had widely divergent views on what the future of Al-Shabaab should be. This resulted in tensions within the organization and the alienation of many of Godane's oldest friends as it became apparent that Godane's agenda was transnational.[13]

Death

In August 2014, the Somali government-led Operation Indian Ocean was launched to clean up the remaining insurgent-held pockets in the countryside.[14] On 1 September 2014, a U.S. drone strike carried out as part of the broader mission killed Al-Shabaab leader Godane.[15] U.S. authorities hailed the raid as a major symbolic and operational loss for Al-Shabaab, and the Somali government offered a 45-day amnesty to all moderate members of the militant group. Political analysts also suggested that the insurgent commander's death will likely lead to Al-Shabaab's fragmentation and eventual dissolution.[16]

On 2 September 2014, al-Shabaab confirmed that Godane was travelling in one of two vehicles hit by a U.S. AGM-114 Hellfire missile strike the previous day. It was not immediately confirmed if Godane himself was among the six militants killed. The vehicles were heading toward the coastal town of Barawe, al-Shabaab's main base.[17] On 5 September 2014, the Pentagon confirmed during the 2014 NATO summit in Wales that Godane had been killed in the attack.[18][19][20] On 6 September 2014, al-Shabaab officially confirmed Godane's death and announced Ahmad Umar as his successor.[5][21]

References

  1. ↑ "Q&A: Somalia's conflict". BBC News. 4 October 2011. Archived from the original on 2 October 2012.
  2. ↑ "Ahmed Abdi Godane: Somalia's killed al-Shabab leader". BBC News. 9 September 2014.
  3. 1 2 Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Refworld - Somalia: Current Conditions and Prospects for a Lasting Peace". unhcr.org. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  4. ↑ "Somalia: Harakat Al-Shabab Mujahideen Leader Calls for Government Soldiers to Hand Over Their Weapon With in Five Days". Mauritius: allAfrica.com. 6 July 2010. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
  5. 1 2 "Shebab's new leader a devout, ruthless hardliner". Agence France-Presse. 7 September 2014. Archived from the original on 11 September 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  6. ↑ "Security Council Committee on Somalia and Eritrea Issues List of Individuals Identified Pursuant to Paragraph 8 of Resolution 1844 (2008) - Meetings Coverage and Press Releases". www.un.org. Archived from the original on 28 June 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 Hoehne, Markus Virgil. "Counter-terrorism in Somalia: How external interference helped to produce militant Islamism" (PDF). Halle: Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology. p. 15. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 January 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
  8. ↑ Profile Archived 12 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine., wardheernews.com; retrieved 5 September 2014.
  9. 1 2 3 McConnell, Tristan (1 October 2013). "Who is Al Shabaab leader Ahmed Godane?". GlobalPost. Archived from the original on 18 December 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  10. ↑ Profile Archived 11 August 2015 at the Wayback Machine., fas.org; retrieved 5 September 2014.
  11. ↑ Profile Archived 26 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine., Voice of America; retrieved 5 September 2014.
  12. ↑ "Somali rebels unite, profess loyalty to al Qaeda". Reuters. 1 February 2010. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
  13. ↑ Profile Archived 17 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine., Human Rights Watch; retrieved 5 September 2014.
  14. ↑ "SOMALIA: President says Godane is dead, now is the chance for the members of al-Shabaab to embrace peace". Raxanreeb. 5 September 2014. Archived from the original on 6 September 2014. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  15. ↑ "Pentagon Confirms Death of Somalia Terror Leader". Associated Press. 5 September 2014. Archived from the original on 6 September 2014. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  16. ↑ "US confirms death of Somalia terror group leader". Associated Press. 5 September 2014. Archived from the original on 6 September 2014. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  17. ↑ "Al-Shabaab in Somalia confirms leader was targeted in US drone strike". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2 September 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
  18. ↑ "Leader of Qaeda-Linked Somali Group Is Dead, U.S. Says". The New York Times. 5 September 2014. Archived from the original on 23 June 2011. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  19. ↑ Martinez, Michael (5 September 2014). "Top Somali militant killed in U.S. operation, Pentagon says". CNN. Archived from the original on 5 September 2014. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  20. ↑ "Leader of Qaeda-Linked Somali Group Is Dead, U.S. Says". The New York Times. 5 September 2014. Archived from the original on 23 June 2011. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  21. ↑ "Shabaab names new emir, reaffirms allegiance to al Qaeda - FDD's Long War Journal". longwarjournal.org. 6 September 2014. Archived from the original on 27 October 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
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