Aden Hashi Farah Aero ( so, Aaden Xaashi Faarax Ceyroow, ar, عدن هاشي فرح) (died 1 May 2008) was the military commander of the Al Shabaab. He was from the Ayr sub-clan, part of the Habar Gidir, which is a branch of the Hawiye clan. He was reportedly married to Halima Abdi Issa Yusuf. He was among several militants killed in a U.S. airstrike on 1 May 2008.

Afghanistan and Al-Qaeda

Aden Hashi Farah Aero was said to have gone to Afghanistan to train with

al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...

before 2001, according to

Matthew Bryden Matthew Bryden is a Canadian political analyst active in the Horn of Africa. He worked for several aid and political organizations in Somalia after spending some time in the region during his leave from the Canadian military in 1987. He served as ...

International Crisis Group The International Crisis Group (ICG; also known as the Crisis Group) is a transnational non-profit, non-governmental organisation founded in 1995. It is a think tank, used by policymakers and academics, performing research and analysis on global ...

. According to International Crisis Group, it was after this stint with the terror organisation that he went back to Somalia in 2003 to set up a network with other al-Itihaad al-Islamiya veterans to assassinate foreigners and opponents, culminating in the eventual deaths of four foreign aid workers and at least ten Somali former military and police officers. On 10 June 2006, '' The Guardian'' repeated this story by stating, "An unnamed network run by one of Aweys's proteges, Aden Hashi Farah "Aero", has been linked to the murder of four western aid workers and more than a dozen Somalis who allegedly cooperated with counter-terror organisations." He was placed in charge of the Shabaab by

Hassan Dahir Aweys Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys (English: ( so, Xasan Daahir Aweys, ( ar, حسن طاهر أويس; born 1935) is a Somali political figure from the Habargidir/Ayr subclan within the Hawiye clan. During the regime of Siad Barre, Aweys was a colonel ...

, but an October 2006 article in '' The Economist'' indicated Aweys may have had some regrets regarding the appointment.

Attempt on life

Theresa Whelan, the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for African affairs, in a press conference on 17 January 2007, said she believed the U.S. AC-130 gunship raid which occurred on 8 January had killed eight fighters linked to Aden Hashi Farah Aero. Aero was believed to have been wounded in the attack and perhaps killed. However, on 7 March 2007 an audio tape issued by Aden Hashi Aero was sent to the Koran Radio station in Mogadishu.

Al-Qaeda in Somalia

According to intelligence provided to Somalia's Deputy

Defence Minister A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

Salad Ali Jelle Salad Ali Jelle ( so, Salaad Cali Jeelle) is the Deputy Minister of Defense of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of the Republic of Somalia. He was a political figure in the War in Somalia (2006–2009) fought between the TFG and its ally E ...

, Aden Hashi Aero was named by Al Qaeda as its leader in the war-torn nation. It was also reported by the Associated Press that the United Nations have attributed 16 killings to him, including BBC journalist

Kate Peyton Katherine Mary Peyton (13 December 1965 – 9 February 2005) was a British journalist and senior producer for the BBC Johannesburg bureau from 2002 to 2005. She was killed in a shooting incident in Somalia whilst reporting on that country's nasc ...

. They also reported a failed attempt to bring down an Ethiopian airliner.

Death

On 1 May 2008, Aero and another important leader of the

Hizbul Shabaab Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen (HSM; ar, حركة الشباب المجاهدين, translit=Ḥarakat ash-Shabāb al-Mujāhidīn, so, Xarakada Mujaahidiinta Alshabaab, ), more commonly known as al-Shabaab, is an Islamic fundamentalist Sala ...

, Sheikh Muhyadin Omar, were killed by a U.S.

airstrike An airstrike, air strike or air raid is an offensive operation carried out by aircraft. Air strikes are delivered from aircraft such as blimps, balloons, fighters, heavy bombers, ground attack aircraft, attack helicopters and drones. The offic ...

on his house in the town of Dhusamareb.France 24 , Eight killed in air strike on Somalia Islamists: residents , France 24
/ref>

Paul Salopek Paul Salopek (born February 9, 1962 in Barstow, California) is a journalist and writer from the United States. He is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and was raised in central Mexico. Salopek has reported globally for the Chicago Tribune, Foreign ...

reported in the '' Chicago Tribune'' that jihadists vowed to kill every foreigner in Somalia in response.

References

External links