Sharif Ahmed
5442210
225740741
2008-07-15T04:38:36Z
ImageRemovalBot
4851336
Removing deleted [[:Image:Sheikh Ahmed.jpg|image]]
{{Infobox Military Person
|name= <!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Sheikh Ahmed.jpg|thumb|Sharif Ahmed]] -->
{{main|Regions of Somalia|Districts of Somalia}}'''Sharif Ahmed''' <br> ({{lang-ar|الشيخ شريف شيخ أحمد}})
|lived= {{birth date and age|1964|07|25}}
|placeofbirth= {{flagicon|Somalia}} - Chabila, [[Somalia]]<ref name="Interview">{{cite web |date=17/05/2006| url = http://aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=1&id=4971| title = Interview with Head of Somalia's Islamic courts organization Sheikh Sharif Ahmad| format = HTML | publisher = sundaytelegraph | accessdate = 2007-08-03 | last= Khaled Mahmoud}}</ref>
|placeofdeath=
|image= <!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Sharifah.jpg]] -->
|caption= Chairman of the [[Islamic Courts Union|ICU]], Sharif Ahmed.
|nickname= [[Sheikh]] Sharif Sheikh Ahmed
|allegiance= [[Image:Flag of the ICU.svg|25px]] - [[Islamic Courts Union|Somali Council of Islamic Courts]]
|serviceyears= 2003–present
|rank= [[Commander-in-chief]]
|commands=
|unit=
|battles= [[Rise of the Islamic Courts Union (2006)|Rise of the ICU (2006)]] <BR> [[War in Somalia (2006–present)|Ethiopian intervention (2006–present)]]<BR>[[2007 timeline of the War in Somalia|2007 timeline of the War in Somalia]]
|awards=
|laterwork=
}}
'''[[Sheikh]] Sharif Sheikh Ahmed''' ({{lang-so|''Sheekh Shariif Sheekh Axmed''}};
{{lang-ar|
الشيخ شريف شيخ أحمد
}}; born [[July 25]], [[1964]]) is a member of the [[Islamic Court Union]] (ICU), which controlled [[Somalia|Somalia's]] capital of [[Mogadishu]] and much of south and central Somalia until the [[War in Somalia (2006–present)|war in Somalia]]. Ahmed was born in [[Shabeellaha Dhexe]] province, Somalia, and studied at [[Libyan]] and [[Sudan]]ese universities. He is from the [[Abgaal]] branch of the [[Hawiye]] clan. He has also worked as a secondary school teacher of [[geography]], [[Arabic language|Arabic]], and religious studies. He speaks Arabic, Somali, and English.
== Islamic Courts Union ==
He first became involved in the ICU when he was elected to head a small local court in [[Jowhar]]. A few years later, a local gang in Mogadishu kidnapped a young student and demanded a ransom from his family in return for releasing their son. This incident was one of countless other kidnappings and killings perpetrated by armed groups in the Somali capital who exploited the disintegration of the central government. This event marked a turning point in the life of Sheikh Sharif Ahmad and his further involvement in the ICU.<ref name=MOGADISHUS-MODEST-ISLAMIC-LEADER>
{{cite news
|title=Mogadishu's modest Islamic leader
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5072268.stm
|date=[[2006-06-12]]
|accessdate=2007-01-17
|publisher=[[BBC]]}}</ref>
In 2004, Sheikh Sharif became one the leading figures in the Islamic courts in the capital. His closest friends and allies include [[Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys]], one of the founders of Islamic courts in Somalia and [[Aden Hashi Farah "Eyrow"]] whom Washington blames for having connection with [[Al-Qaeda|Al-Qaeda network]] and fought in [[Afghanistan]] in 2001. <ref name="somalinet">{{cite web |date=Wed [[June 14]] [[2006]]]| url = http://somalinet.com/news/world/English/2882| title = The profile of Islamic courts leader Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed| format = HTML | publisher = somalinet| accessdate = 2007-08-03 | last=Mohamed Abdi Farah - Somalia correspondent }}</ref>
On [[September 9]] [[2006]], Sharif and several colleagues were in [[Sirte]], [[Libya]] for an AU ceremony marking the seventh anniversary of a summit of African leaders. In an interview with [[Reuters]] and the [[BBC]], he suggested his delegation would seek the help of [[Libya]] and other African nations to bring about a rapprochement between the [[Islamist]]s and the Somali [[Transitional Federal Government]] (TFG). He said Ethiopia had been hostile to Somalia for more than 500 years and reiterated a longstanding Islamist accusation that Ethiopian forces were intervening in Somalia. Ethiopia denied any of its troops were fighting in Somalia. However, arrangements for an [[Intergovernmental Authority on Development]] (IGAD)-led peacekeeping force did not materialize.<ref name=reuter090906>[http://danwaa.com/view.php?articleid=62 Somali Islamists to ask AU to end peace force plan], Reuters, [[September 9]] [[2006]]</ref>
==ICU falls==
On [[December 28]], [[2006]], after the defeat of the ICU's army, he committed himself to fighting the Ethopian forces in Somalia. After the ICU's defeat in the [[Battle of Jilib]] and their [[Fall of Kismayo|abandonment of Kismayo]], he fled towards the [[Kenya]]n border.
He was detained, with three other Somalis, by Kenyan police on [[January 21]], [[2007]] near the Hulugo border. He met the US Ambassador to Kenya for talks regarding cooperation with the TFG. He is currently under the protection of Kenyan authorities and staying at a hotel in [[Nairobi]].[[Image:Somalia map states regions districts.png|thumb|Political map of Somalia year 2008]]
{{main|Regions of Somalia|Districts of Somalia}}<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.eastandard.net/hm_news/news.php?articleid=1143963931
|title=Top Islamist arrested on Kenya-Somalia border
|publisher=The East African Standard
|date=[[2007-01-21]]
|accessdate=2007-02-03}}</ref><ref name="Top Somali Islamist surrendered">{{cite news
|url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070122/ts_afp/somaliaunrest_070122160829
|title=Top Somali Islamist surrenders in Kenya
|date=[[2007-01-22]]
|publisher=[[Agence France-Presse|AFP]]
|accessdate=2007-02-03 }}</ref>
==Capture of American soldiers==
On [[February 1]], [[2007]], the captured ICU leader Sharif Ahmed was released from Kenyan police authorities.<ref name=SOMALI-ISLAMIST-LEADER-RELEASED-FROM-KENYAN-AUTHORITIES>
{{cite news
|title=Somali Islamist leader out of Kenyan custody
|url=http://www.hiiraan.com/news2/2007/feb/somali_islamist_leader_out_of_kenyan_custody.aspx
|date=[[2007-02-01]]
|accessdate=2007-02-01
|publisher=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> He also was reported to have met with [[Michael Ranneberger]], U.S. Envoy to Kenya and Somalia, allegedly to arrange for the release of the captured U.S. troops.<ref name=US-DIPLOMAT-BIDS-THE-RELEASE-OF-11-US-SOLDIERS-SEIZED-IN-SOMALIA>{{cite news
|title=US diplomat bids the release of 11 US soldiers seized in Somalia
|url=http://www.shabelle.net/news/ne2220.htm
|date=[[2007-02-01]]
|publisher=Shabelle Media Network
|accessdate=}}</ref> By [[February 8]], Sheikh Sharif Sheik Ahmed had gone to [[Yemen]] where other ICU members are thought to have also gone.<ref>{{cite news |title= Somali Islamist travels to Yemen |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6342527.stm |date=[[2007-02-08]] |accessdate= [[2007-02-08]] |publisher=BBC}}</ref> On that day, reports in the Yememi Arabic newspaper Al-nedaa stated Sharif Ahmed's release was the first conditional step to arrange the release of varying reports of 11 or, now, 15 [[United States Marine Corps|United States Marines]] allegedly captured during fighting in southern Somalia at the [[Battle of Ras Kamboni]]. Four Marines were also alleged to have been wounded in the fighting.<ref name=SOMALIA-STORY-OF-US-CAPTIVES-IN-SOMALIA-GAINS-WEIGHT>{{cite news
|title=Somalia: The story of US captives in Somalia gains weight
|url=http://somalinet.com/news/world/Somalia/7367
|date=[[2007-02-08]]
|accessdate=2007-02-09 }}</ref><ref name=RELEASE-OF-15-US-SOLDIERS-IN-SOUTHERN-SOMALIA-UNDERWAY>{{cite news
|title=The Release of 15 US soldiers in southern Somalia underway--Yemen paper
|url=http://www.shabelle.net/news/ne2273.htm
|date=[[2007-02-08]]
|publisher=Shabelle Media Network
|accessdate=2007-02-09 }}</ref> However, while these stories of captured American soldiers were prevalent in Somali media, they received little or no attention in the Western media. The capture of U.S. troops had been reported earlier on [[January 21]] by the ICU's [http://www.qaadisiya.com Qaadisiya.com] site, but denied as "utterly bogus" by Michael Ranneberger.<ref name=US-HAS-GROUND-TROOPS-IN-SOUTHERN-SOMALIA>{{cite news
|title=U.S. has ground troops in southern Somalia: Journalist
|url=http://www.garoweonline.com/stories/publish/article_7183.shtml
|date=[[2007-01-21]]
|publisher=Garowe Online
|accessdate=2007-02-29 }}</ref>
==Family==
Before fleeing Sheikh Sharif lived with his wife and two children, Ahmad, aged 9 and Abdullah, who is a toddler, in a modest house in Mogadishu .<ref name="Interview"/>
==Acceptance of the International Community==
{{Unsourcedsect|date=July 2008}}
At the beginning of his leadership at the [[Union of Islamic Courts]], Sharif Ahmed was widely opposed by countries and their leadership, mainly because of the organization's stance on some developed nations.
Since making interviews with Al Jazeera's English Service and other agencies, the Commander-in-Chief has made his words clear and that his aims and that of his organisation respectively, has proven that the UIC is not linked to World disorderment and instability, only to some.
Some Somali sources have reported that the Swedish government has verbally supported Somalis who support people back home as being people who fight for their land.
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==External links==
*[http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,519776,00.html Interview in Der Spiegel]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahmed, Sheikh Sharif}}
[[Category:1964 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Somali politicians]]
[[Category:National liberation movements]]
[[Category:Somali people]]
[[ar:شريف الشيخ احمد]]
[[de:Sharif Sheikh Ahmed]]
[[es:Sharif Sheid Ahmed]]
[[nl:Sharif Sheikh Ahmed]]
[[sv:Sharif Sheikh Ahmed]]