Abdullahi Ali Afrah, born in

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

, was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

immigrant who returned to

Mogadishu Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port ...

as a leader in the

Union of Islamic Courts The Islamic Courts Union ( so, Midowga Maxkamadaha Islaamiga) was a legal and political organization formed to address the lawlessness that had been gripping Somalia since the fall of the Siad Barre regime in 1991 during the Somali Civil War. Th ...

(UIC). He was killed 1 July 2008 in a battle with the Ethiopian troops in Matabaan,

Hiiraan Hiran ( so, Hiiraan, ar, هيران) is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in central Somalia and part of the Hirshabelle State. Overview Hiran is bordered by the Somali Region of Ethiopia (or the 1908 Convention Line) to the northwest, t ...

. Shephard, Michelle.

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

Canadian insurgent 'Asparo' killed in Somalia
July 3, 2008

Early life

Afrah was born in Ceelgaras,

. He left there with his parents to

when he was five years old. After he got his master's degree, Asparo moved to

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Canada, where he stayed for ten more years.

Education

Afrah got his bachelor's degree in

Agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating Plant, plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of Sedentism, sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of Domestication, domesticated species created food ...

from

Lafoole University Lafoole University, sometimes referred to as Lafoole College, is a teaching institution in Lafoole, Afgooye District, situated in the Lower Shebelle region in southern Somalia. Background Lafoole University, Somalia's premier teacher training col ...

in 1983, and his master's degree in

Crop science Agricultural science (or agriscience for short) is a broad multidisciplinary field of biology that encompasses the parts of exact, natural, economic and social sciences that are used in the practice and understanding of agriculture. Profession ...

from

Texas Tech University Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...

in 1986.Evaluation of Laboratory Tests For Predicting Field Performance Of Sorghum Seed
He also got a bachelor's degree in the

Islamic Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the mai ...

studies from the

University of Science and Technology, Sana'a The University of Science and Technology, Yemen (USTY) () is a non-profit university located in Aden, Yemen. The university offers programs that lead to bachelor's, master's, and PhD degrees. History The University of Science and Technology Ye ...

in 2005. He joined a variety of other universities but did not complete.

Canada

Afrah moved to

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

following the outbreak of the

Somali Civil War The Somali Civil War ( so, Dagaalkii Sokeeye ee Soomaaliya; ar, الحرب الأهلية الصومالية ) is an ongoing civil war that is taking place in Somalia. It grew out of resistance to the Military dictatorship, military junta wh ...

in 1991, became a Canadian citizen and worked as a

security guard A security guard (also known as a security inspector, security officer, or protective agent) is a person employed by a government or private party to protect the employing party's assets (property, people, equipment, money, etc.) from a variety ...

with the

Toronto Catholic District School Board The Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB, known as English-language Separate District School Board No. 40 prior to 1999) is an English-language public-separate school board for Toronto, Ontario, Canada, headquartered in North York. I ...

, before operating a Somalia

wire transfer Wire transfer, bank transfer, or credit transfer, is a method of electronic funds transfer from one person or entity to another. A wire transfer can be made from one bank account to another bank account, or through a transfer of cash at a cash ...

service, and eventually co-owning a grocery store on

Dundas Street West Dundas Street is a major historic arterial road in Ontario, Canada. The road connects the city of Toronto with its western suburbs and several cities in southwestern Ontario. Three provincial highways— 2, 5, and 99—followed long sections ...

. Shephard, Michelle,

"From T.O. to Mogadishu"
October 21, 2006

Return to Somalia

In 1996, Asparo moved back to

with his family. "I have been there, just like everybody else, working and trying to make a good life. I tried my best and when I finished my intention to stay there I just moved back to Somalia", Afrah said, during a telephone interview with

National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper available in several cities in central and western Canada. The paper is the flagship publication of Postmedia Network and is published Mondays through Saturdays, with ...

.Canadian in Somalia defends Taliban
He took his wife and children back to Mogadishu in 1997, where he held a senior position in the consultative council of the

. Afrah's support of the UIC led

William Kaplan William Kaplan (born 24 May 1957) is a Canadians, Canadian lawyer and writer. Biography Born in Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Kaplan is the son of Igor Kaplan and Cara Cherniak. He graduated from the University of Toronto in 1980 with a Bachelor ...

to brand him a "Taliban wannabe" in December 2006. Kaplan, William,
Is it time to close Hotel Canada?
", December 25, 2006 After the UIC were defeated in the end of 2006, Afrah stayed behind in Mogadishu. In a telephone interview with Canadian journalist

Michelle Shephard Michelle Shephard (born 1972) is an independent investigative reporter (previously with the ''Toronto Star'' newspaper), author and filmmaker. She has been awarded the Michener Award for public service journalism and won Canada's top newspaper pri ...

, Afrah said that "the only solution is that Ethiopia should get out of Somalia peacefully, or with force," and he vowed that "they will be out, either willingly or unwillingly." Shephard, Michelle,

Top Islamist ponders return to Toronto
January 8, 2007

Death

On 1 July 2008, on his way back from his birthplace (Ceelgaras), Asparo was killed by the Ethiopian troops during a violent fighting in central

, in a place called Matabaan, in

province.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Afrah, Abdullahi 2008 deaths Somalian emigrants to Canada Somalian Islamists Canadian Muslims Somalian Muslims Lafoole University alumni Texas Tech University alumni University of Science and Technology, Sanaa alumni 1953 births Deaths by firearm in Somalia