Sheikh Shariif enjoying himself in a Nairobi Hotel with AmericansKenyans his guards

[Fiqikhayre]

Somali Islamist surrenders

Mon Jan 22, 2007 2:56pm ET

 

advertisement

RELATED VIDEO

Troops fire on Mogadishu protest

Play Video

International News

Strike violence rocks Guinea, more than 20 killed

Serbia faces hard quest for stable majority

Spectators gather at Canadian serial killer trial

More International News... Email This Article | Print This Article | Reprints [-] Text [+] By C. Bryson Hull

 

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Somali Islamist leader Sheikh Sharif Ahmed was under guard in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on Monday after being taken into custody on the Somali border, officials said.

 

Ahmed is the highest-ranking member of the former Somali Islamist rulers to turn himself in after a late December blitz by Ethiopian and Somali interim government troops routed them from southern Somalia.

 

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Kenyan authorities had Ahmed in custody: "I think they are dealing with him as a refugee at this point."

 

Reuters Pictures

 

Editors Choice: Best pictures

from the last 24 hours.

View Slideshow

 

The Kenyan and Somali governments had no immediate comment.

 

Ahmed is considered a moderate in the Islamist movement and before the war was among those the United States said should be involved in reconciliation talks in Somalia. He met U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger in September.

 

A Western diplomat told Reuters Ahmed surrendered at the border on Sunday, and was being kept under guard at an upmarket hotel in Nairobi, where former Somali dictator Mohamed Siad Barre stayed when he fled his country in 1991.

 

Two other Western diplomats confirmed the information as did a top Somali intelligence official. "They captured him in the Liboi area," the Somali intelligence official said. Continued...

 

Liboi is a border post near Somalia's southern tip, where Ethiopian and Somali troops have been hunting Islamists.

 

The United States conducted an air strike against what it called al Qaeda operatives among the Islamist ranks two weeks ago in its first publicly confirmed military action there since ending a disastrous peacekeeping mission in 1994.

 

The United States embassy in Kenya, responsible for Somalia, denied reports U.S. officials were involved in the surrender.

 

"The U.S. is not holding or protecting or interrogating Sheikh Sharif. We were not involved in his capture or surrender," an embassy official said on condition of anonymity.

 

Reuters Pictures

 

Editors Choice: Best pictures

from the last 24 hours.

View Slideshow

 

MODERATE WITH AN AK-47

 

Diplomats spoken to by Reuters said Kenya and possibly the United States most likely had a role in brokering Ahmed's surrender, with help from Somali and Kenyan politicians of Somali ethnic origin sympathetic to Islamist moderates.

 

Since the war, the United States has said that all Somalis who renounce violence and extremism should be included in reconciliation. McCormack said he was not aware of plans for the U.S. ambassador, Ranneberger, to meet with Ahmed soon.

 

A U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity said Ahmed's reputation suffered in Washington's eyes in the build-up to the war, but that he could have a role in reconciliation if he persuaded his followers to stop fighting. Continued...

 

Ahmed, a former geography teacher who was one of the most visible faces of the Somalia Islamic Courts Council (SICC), wore combat fatigues and clutched an AK-47 while declaring jihad against Ethiopia at a news conference in October.

 

But the SICC's belligerence vanished as they were run out of strongholds by Ethiopian air power and armor supporting Somali government troops in a two-week war.

 

The Islamists have vowed to conduct a guerrilla war, and many suspect their hardcore militants have been behind a spate of attacks in Mogadishu, the latest of which occurred on Monday.

 

Ethiopian troops and Somali police shot at protesters who hurled stones and fired back with assault rifles. Three people were killed and five wounded in the clash, a witness and a local journalist who asked not to be named said.

 

Reuters Pictures

 

Editors Choice: Best pictures

from the last 24 hours.

View Slideshow

 

The witness said Ethiopian troops returned to a livestock market in the coastal city where an attack on an Ethiopian convoy set off a clash that killed four on Saturday.

 

Ethiopia wants to pull out of Somalia, and on Monday a Somali government source said Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin met President Abdullahi Yusuf at the capital's Villa Somalia compound, which was pounded by mortars on Friday.

 

Ethiopia and Yusuf's government want an African Union-backed peacekeeping force of nearly 8,000 troops to help the government keep control of Somalia after Ethiopia goes. Malawi said on Monday the southern African country would deploy troops.

 

But many doubt the AU's capacity to muster the full contingent, let alone tame a nation that defied the combined efforts of U.S. and U.N. peacekeepers in the early 1990s.

 

(Additional reporting by Sahal Abdulle in Mogadishu, Ingrid Melander in Brussels, Sue Pleming in Washington and Mabvuto Banda in Lilongwe)

[Fiqikhayre]

Islamic Leader in Somalia Surrenders

 

 

By CHRIS TOMLINSON

 

NAIROBI, Kenya - A leader of Somalia's ousted Islamic movement seen by the U.S. as a moderate who could help prevent widespread insurgency there has surrendered to Kenyan authorities, officials said Monday. Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, described by a U.S. diplomat as someone who could play a role in reconciling Somali factions, crossed into Kenya on Sunday and went to a police station along the border. He was then flown to Nairobi, according to a police report seen by The Associated Press.

 

The report said Kenyan authorities were protecting Ahmed, who apparently feared for his life in Somalia where the remnants of his Council of Islamic Courts are being hunted by Ethiopian and Somali government forces. It was not immediately clear whether he faced possible deportation and imprisonment in Somalia.

 

The U.S. said it was not involved in protecting Ahmed.

 

"The U.S. government is not holding or interrogating Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed and was not involved in his capture or surrender," a U.S. Embassy official said. The official, who was not authorized to talk to the media, spoke on condition of anonymity.

 

U.S. Ambassador Michael Ranneberger has repeatedly said Ahmed is a moderate Islamic leader who should be part of a national reconciliation process in Somalia.

 

Ahmed was chairman of the Executive Council of Islamic Courts and shared leadership with Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, chairman of the group's legislative council. While Ahmed is considered a moderate, Aweys is on a U.S. list of people with suspected ties to the al-Qaida, though he has repeatedly denied links to international terrorists.

 

If Ahmed agrees to hold talks with Somalia's government, it could be a major step toward preventing the widespread insurgency that many Islamic leaders have promised in Somalia.

 

The European Union urged Somalia's government to hold talks with moderate Islamist leaders and other factions to find a lasting peace settlement. EU foreign ministers urged Somali factions to seize "a window of opportunity" to find a sustainable solution.

 

EU Development Commissioner Louis Michel said failure to hold "inclusive talks" with all other political factions would sink efforts to stabilize the impoverished country.

 

"It is the only way to get long-term stability and peace in Somalia," Michel told reporters in Brussels, Belgium.

 

Somali troops, with crucial aid from neighboring Ethiopia, drove the Council of Islamic Courts out of the capital and much of southern Somalia last month. But violence has been breaking out due to traditional clan rivalries and resentment among Somalis over the presence of Ethiopia.

 

Somalia, a Muslim country, and Ethiopia, with its large Christian population, fought a brutal war in 1977.

 

On Sunday, Somalia's government spokesman, Abdirahman Dinari, said Kenya has handed over 34 Islamic militiamen, and some may be senior leaders of the Islamic movement.

 

Also Monday, Ethiopian troops killed three civilians in an area where Ethiopian forces have been attacked in recent days, a witness said.

 

The troops were firing at several gunmen who were trying to hide in a house in the Hurwa district, said Mustaf Hassan Ali, who saw the shooting in the neighborhood, considered a hotbed of sympathizers for the Islamic movement.

 

"The Ethiopians fired at the civilians when unknown gunmen sought refuge in their house," Ali said.

 

The government has invited African peacekeepers to help provide security in Somalia, but they are unlikely to come if fighting continues. African Union officials approved an 8,000-peacekeeper mission on Friday.

 

Malawi said Monday it plans to deploy hundreds of troops to the AU force _ either a whole or a half battalion.

 

Somalia has been without an effective government since 1991 when warlords overthrew a dictator and turned on each other. The government was formed two years ago with the help of the United Nations, but was weakened by internal rifts.

 

The intervention of Ethiopia prompted a military advance that was a stunning turnaround for the administration, which is struggling to assert control in this chaotic country.

 

Associated Press writers Mohamed Olad Hassan and Salad Duhul contributed to this report from Mogadishu, Somalia.

 

A service of the Associated Press(AP)

[Fiqikhayre]

Islamic Leader in Somalia Surrenders

By CHRIS TOMLINSON

 

 

 

Islamic leader Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, wearing combat fatigues and holding an AK47 assault rifle, speaks during a news conference, in the Somali capital Mogadishu in this Monday, Oct. 9, 2006 file photo. Ahmed, one of the top leaders of Somalia's Islamic movement has turned himself over to U.S. and Kenyan authorities and is under their protection in Nairobi, officials said Monday Jan. 22, 2007. (AP Photo/Mohamed Sheikh Nor)

 

 

 

NAIROBI, Kenya - A top leader of Somalia's ousted Islamic movement seen by the U.S. as a potential key to preventing a widespread insurgency there surrendered to authorities and is under protection in Nairobi, officials said Monday.

 

Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, who has been described by a U.S. diplomat as a moderate who could play a role in reconciling Somali factions, crossed into Kenya, went to a police station along the border on Sunday and was flown to Nairobi, according to a police report seen by The Associated Press.

 

The U.S. said it was not involved in protecting Ahmed, who apparently feared for his life in Somalia, where the remnants of his Council of Islamic Courts are being hunted by Ethiopian troops and Somali government forces.

 

"The U.S. government is not holding or interrogating Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed and was not involved in his capture or surrender," a U.S. Embassy official said, speaking on condition of anonymity as they weren't authorized to talk to the media.

 

U.S. Ambassador Michael Ranneberger has repeatedly said Ahmed is a moderate Islamic leader who should be part of a national reconciliation process in Somalia.

 

Ahmed was the chairman of the Executive Council of Islamic Courts and shared the leadership with the Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, who was chairman of the court's legislative council. While Ahmed is considered a moderate, Aweys is on a U.S. list of people with suspected ties to the al-Qaida terror network, though he has repeatedly denied having links to international terrorists.

 

If Ahmed agrees to hold talks with Somalia's government, it could be a major step toward preventing the widespread insurgency that many Islamic leaders have promised in Somalia.

 

Advertisement

 

 

Somali troops, with crucial aid from neighboring Ethiopia, drove the Council of Islamic Courts out of the capital and much of southern Somalia last month. But violence has been breaking out due to traditional clan rivalries and resentment among Somalis over the presence of Ethiopia.

 

Somalia, a Muslim country, and Ethiopia, with its large Christian population, fought a brutal war in 1977.

 

On Sunday, Somalia's government spokesman, Abdirahman Dinari, said Kenya has handed over 34 Islamic militiamen, and that some may be senior leaders of the Islamic movement.

 

Also Monday, Ethiopian troops killed three civilians in an area where Ethiopian forces have been attacked in recent days, a witness said.

 

The troops were firing at several gunmen who were trying to hide in a house in the Hurwa district, said Mustaf Hassan Ali, who saw the shooting in the neighborhood, considered a hotbed of sympathizers for the Islamic movement.

 

"The Ethiopians fired at the civilians when unknown gunmen sought refuge in their house," Ali said.

 

The government has invited African peacekeepers to help provide security in Somalia, but they are unlikely to come if fighting continues. African Union officials approved an 8,000-peacekeeper mission on Friday.

 

Somalia has been without an effective government since 1991, when warlords overthrew a dictator and turned on each other. The government was formed two years ago with the help of the United Nations, but was weakened by internal rifts.

 

The intervention of Ethiopia prompted a military advance that was a stunning turnaround for the administration, which is struggling to assert control in this chaotic country.

 

AP writers Mohamed Olad Hassan and Salad Duhul contributed to this report from Mogadishu, Somalia.

 

A service of the Associated Press(AP)

[Fiqikhayre]

Top Somali Islamist surrenders in Kenya

 

 

« Previous « PreviousNext » Next »

View GalleryBy C. Bryson Hull

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Somali Islamist leader Sheikh Sharif Ahmed was under guard in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on Monday after being taken into custody on the Somali border, Western diplomats and intelligence officials said.

 

If confirmed, Ahmed would be the highest-ranking member of the former Somali Islamist rulers to turn himself in after a late December blitz by Ethiopian and Somali interim government troops routed them from southern Somalia.

 

Ahmed is considered a moderate in the Islamist movement and before the war was among those the United States said should be involved in reconciliation talks in Somalia.

 

"We understand that Sheikh Sharif did surrender at the border on the 21st," a Western diplomat said, adding he was being kept under guard at a smart hotel in Nairobi.

 

Two other Western diplomats confirmed the information as did a top Somali intelligence official. "They captured him in the Liboi area," the Somali intelligence official said.

 

Liboi is a border post near Somalia's southern tip, where Ethiopian and Somali troops have been hunting Islamists.

 

The United States conducted an air strike against what it called al Qaeda operatives among the Islamist ranks two weeks ago in its first publicly confirmed military action there since ending a disastrous peacekeeping mission in 1994.

 

The United States embassy in Kenya, responsible for Somalia, said Kenya handled the surrender.

 

"The U.S. is not holding or protecting or interrogating Sheikh Sharif. We were not involved in his capture or surrender," a U.S. official said on condition of anonymity.

 

The Kenyan and Somali governments had no immediate comment.

 

MODERATE WITH AN AK-47

 

Diplomats spoken to by Reuters said Kenya and possibly the United States most likely had a role in brokering Ahmed's surrender, with help from Somali and Kenyan politicians of Somali ethnic origin sympathetic to Islamist moderates.

 

Since the war, the United States has said that all Somalis who renounce violence and extremism should be included in reconciliation.

 

A U.S.

Last Updated: 22 January 2007

[General Duke]

He has survived, but what about the real leader of the clan courts, Xasan Dahir?

[Fabregas]

The sheikh needs to attend a public tribunal to explain:

 

How long he was in contact with he americans and what exactly his relations was with them?

 

The process involved in declaring jihad and who took the decision?

 

Why certain members of his group ranaway after sending the youth do die?

 

Why he surrendered after all that bravado of wearing military gear?

 

Did he actually engage in any military fighting?

 

Was he at any time, working with/for the c.i.a?

[General Duke]

^^^Indeed those are valid quesions.

[Pi]

Hmmm... I've been scratching my head. But I couldn't find answers. First it was Indha Cadde. Now, Sheikh Shariif. Talk about classical espionage. :confused:

[Pi]

Hmmm... I've been scratching my head. But I couldn't find answers First it was Indha Cadde. Now, Sheikh Shariif. Talk about classical espionage. :confused:

[Pi]

Hmmm... I've been scratching my head. First it was Indha Cadde. Now, Sheikh Shariif. Talk about classical espionage. :confused:

[Socod_badne]

Originally posted by Pi:

Hmmm... I've been scratching my head.

Heavy-duty delousing treatment first to be followed by equally intense fumagation of your quarters should fix the itch problem.