Hassan Abdullah Hersi al-Turki

Hassan Abdullahi al-Turki
حسن عبد الله حرسي التركي
Bornc. 1944[1]
Korahe, Ogaden, Ethiopia
DiedMay 27, 2015(2015-05-27) (aged 70–71)
Jilib, Middle Jubba, Somalia
Resting placeAfmadow, Lower Jubba, Somalia
Years active1960's — 2015
Organization(s) Western Somali Liberation Front (1974 - 1981).

Al-Itihaad Al-Islamiya (1983 - 1997).
Ras Kamboni Brigades (2002 - 2006). Islamic Courts Union (2004 - 2006).
Hizbul Islam (2009 - 2010).

Al-Shabaab (2006 - 2009), (2010 - 2015).

Sheikh Hassan Abdullah Hersi al-Turki (Somali: Hassan Abdullah Hirsii al-Turki, Arabic: حسن عبد الله حرسي التركي الجامعة; c. 1944 – 27 May 2015) was a Somali Islamist military leader. He took part in the 1963–1965 Ogaden revolt as a member of Nasrallah against the Ethiopian Empire and later joined the Western Somali Liberation Front (WSLF). Al-Turki was the founder of the Ras Kamboni Brigades and a senior figure in several Islamist groups, including al-Itihaad al-Islamiya (AIAI), the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), Hizbul Islam, and Al-Shabaab.

He died of natural causes in 2015.

Biography

[edit]

Al-Turki was born in the Ogaden (today the Somali region) which was under the rule of the Ethiopian Empire.[2] He hailed from the Reer Abdille subdivision of the Ogaden within the wider Darod clan. He was the brother-in-law of current Jubbaland governor Ahmed Madobe.[3]

Al-Turki was a veteran of the 1963–1965 Ogaden revolt and 1964 Ethiopian–Somali War.[4] He also fought in the 1970s insurgency and the 1977-78 Ogaden War over control of the Ogaden. He left the region after the war to continue his efforts in Somalia.[5] Following his death, Al-Shabaab released a statement claiming that Al-Turki was behind the killing of the Catholic Bishop of Mogadishu Salvatore Colombo in July 1989[6] and had participated in the October 1993 Battle of Mogadishu against the US military and UNOSOM II.[7] al-Turki founded the Ras Kamboni Brigades, an Islamist militia based near the town of Ras Kamboni in southern Somalia. The group operated primarily in what is now Jubbaland region and initially preceded the formation of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU).

In 2004, al-Turki was designated by the United States under Executive Order 13224 for alleged involvement in terrorist financing.[8] In a subsequent interview with Al Jazeera, he rejected the designation and denied the accusations, stating:[9]

I am not a terrorist. The terrorists are the Americans, Bush and his army who are exterminating the people of Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Lebanon, and Palestine. The terrorists are the infidels led by Bush.

In early 2006, al-Turki's forces began cooperating with the ICU in fighting U.S.-backed warlords in Mogadishu.[10] He supported the independence of the Ogaden region from Ethiopia and viewed the ICU as a vehicle for advancing that goal.[5] Despite the significant distance between Ras Kamboni and Mogadishu, a significant portion of the brigade’s fighters and equipment was integrated into the ICU under al-Turki’s personal command, where they played a key role in the defeat of warlord Bashir Raghe. Al-Turki later stated that there was no distinction between his forces and those of the broader ICU military wing, as they had merged and operated as a unified bloc.[10] As a military leader of ICU, he secured and governed towns in the far south such as Dhobley situated near the North Eastern Province.[11] He also led ICU forces in the taking of Jubaland. He led ICU troops during the advance on Kismayo.[12] Al-Turki addressed the people of Kismayo, saying that the region would be under Sharia law. "This city is seized by Islamic forces including all tribes of Somali men and foreigners, welcome to the new peace brought to this city and I promise you will live in security and prosperity", he reportedly said.[13]

After the full-scale Ethiopian invasion of Somalia, he targeted in a US airstrike on 3 March 2008. The two Tomahawk cruise missiles hit two homes in Dhobley that were allegedly visited by al-Turki, who was believed to have ties to al-Qaeda.[14]

In February 2010, al-Turki officially merged the Ras Kamboni Brigades with Al-Shabaab and split from Hizbul Islam formally pledging allegiance to Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.[15][16]

Al-Turki died of an undisclosed illness on 27 May 2015.[17]

References

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  1. ^ "OFAC Recent Actions". Archived from the original on 5 September 2015.
  2. ^ Pham, J. Peter (26 October 2006). "Islamist Radicals Still on the March in Somalia". Harowo.com. Archived from the original on 8 November 2006.
  3. ^ Warah, Rasna (12 June 2014). War Crimes: How Warlords, Politicians, Foreign Governments and Aid Agencies Conspired to Create a Failed State in Somalia. AuthorHouse. p. 89. ISBN 978-1-4969-8282-7.
  4. ^ "Somalia; 'Muslims Are Being Massacred' - Mayor". Africa News. Garowe Online. 7 March 2008.
  5. ^ a b West, Sunguta (11 July 2006). "New Islamist Leaders Emerge in Somalia". Terrorism Focus. Vol. 3, no. 27. Jamestown Foundation. p. 3. Archived from the original on 16 October 2006.
  6. ^ "Sheekh Xasan Turki oo Mas'uul Ka ahaa Dilkii Baadari Salvador Colombo Loogu Geystay Magaalada Muqdisho". 18 July 2015. Archived from the original on 18 July 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  7. ^ "Leading al-Shabab figure dies in Somalia". Al Arabiya English. 28 May 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  8. ^ Ereli, Adam (3 June 2004). "Designation of Hassan Abdullah Hersi al-Turki under Executive Order 13224" (Press release). United States Department of State. Retrieved 4 September 2007.
  9. ^ لقاء اليوم | تطورات الأوضاع في الصومال أمام تواجد القوات الأثيوبية | حسن عبد الله حرسي [Today's Meeting: Developments in Somalia Amid Ethiopian Forces Presence | Hassan Abdullahi Hersi] (Television production). Al Jazeera Arabic. 1 October 2007. Retrieved 13 April 2025 – via YouTube.
  10. ^ a b لقاء اليوم | تطورات الأوضاع في الصومال أمام تواجد القوات الأثيوبية | حسن عبد الله حرسي [Today's Meeting: Developments in Somalia Amid Ethiopian Forces Presence | Hassan Abdullahi Hersi] (Television production). Al Jazeera Arabic. 1 October 2007. Retrieved 13 April 2025 – via YouTube.
  11. ^ Yusuf, Aweys Osman (3 October 2006). "Somalia's Islamic Courts attain Afmadow in Lower Jubba region". Shabelle.net. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007.
  12. ^ Farah, Mohamed Abdi (23 September 2006). "Somalia: Islamic militants advancing to Kismayo". SomaliNet. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  13. ^ Farah, Mohamed Abdi (25 September 2006). "Somalia: Islamists shooting kills people in Kismayo protest". SomaliNet. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  14. ^ Daskal, Jennifer; Lefkow, Leslie (28 March 2008). "Off-target". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 14 February 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  15. ^ "Shabaab absorbs southern Islamist group, splits Hizbul Islam | FDD's Long War Journal". www.longwarjournal.org. 1 February 2010. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  16. ^ Hassan, Yusuf M. (4 February 2009). "Somalia: Islamist Groups Merge to Fight Sheikh Sharif". allAfrica. Garowe Online. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  17. ^ Nor, Mohamed Sheikh (28 May 2015). "Al-Shabaab Leader Linked to al-Qaeda Dies in South Somalia". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
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