Sheikh Hassan Abdullah Hersi al-Turki ( so, Hassan Abdullah Hirsii al-Turki, ar, حسن عبد الله حرسي التركي الجامعة; – 27 May 2015) was a Somali Islamist leader of

al-Itihaad al-Islamiya Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya (AIAI; ar-at, الاتحاد الإسلامي, lit=The Islamic Union) was an Islamist militant group in Somalia. It is considered a terrorist organisation by the United States, the United Kingdom and New Zealand. Histor ...

(AIAI) and later of the

Islamic Courts Union 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 ...

(ICU).

Biography

Al-Turki was born in the Ogaden. He hailed from the Reer Abdille subdivision of the Ogaden

Darod The Darod ( so, Daarood, ar, دارود) is a Somali clan. The forefather of this clan was Sheikh Abdirahman bin Isma'il al-Jabarti, more commonly known as ''Darood''. The clan primarily settles the apex of the Horn of Africa and its peripheries ...

clan. It is believed that al-Turki participated in the unsuccessful Ogaden War between Somalia and Ethiopia over control of the Somali-inhabited Ogaden region, and subsequently left the region to continue his revolutionary efforts in Somalia. On 3 June 2004, al-Turki was designated, under US Presidential

Executive Order 13224 Executive Order 13224 is an executive order issued by U.S. President George W. Bush on September 23, 2001, as a response to the attacks on September 11, 2001. It has been renewed every year since. History In general terms, the Order provides ...

, for terrorist financing. He later became a military leader of ICU, and was in charge of the Dhobley situated near the North Eastern Province. He also led ICU forces in the taking of Jubaland. On 23 September 2006, al-Turki forces approached

Jilib Jilib (other names: Gilib, Gelib, Jillib, Jillio; ) is a city in Somalia, It is north of Kismaayo. History During the Middle Ages, Jilib and its surrounding area was part of the Ajuran Empire that governed much of southern Somalia and eastern Eth ...

, en route to

Kismayo Kismayo ( so, Kismaayo, Maay: ''Kismanyy'', ar, كيسمايو, ; it, Chisimaio) is a port city in the southern Lower Juba (Jubbada Hoose) province of Somalia. It is the commercial capital of the autonomous Jubaland region. The city is situa ...

. In a result,

Juba Valley Alliance The Juba Valley Alliance (JVA; Somali: ''Isbahaysiga Dooxada Jubba'') is a political faction of the Somali Civil War. It was the primary opponent of the Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM) and the Somali Reconciliation and Restoration Council (SRRC ...

forces withdrew without a fight. After the city fell, on 24 September, he promised peace to the city after Islamic militiamen broke up an anti-Islamist demonstration with gunfire, killing three teenagers. (Also see: Juba Valley Alliance § War in Somalia). Al-Turki addressed people in 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. He was later targeted in a US airstrike on 3 March 2008. The two

Tomahawk A tomahawk is a type of single-handed axe used by the many Indigenous peoples and nations of North America. It traditionally resembles a hatchet with a straight shaft. In pre-colonial times the head was made of stone, bone, or antler, and Eur ...

cruise missiles hit two homes in Dhobley that were allegedly visited by al-Turki, who was believed to have ties to al-Qaeda. Al-Turki was the leader of an insurgent group named the

Ras Kamboni Brigades The Ras Kamboni Brigades also known as the Ras Kamboni Brigade, Muaskar Ras Kamboni or Mu'askar Ras Kamboni was an Islamist insurgent group active in Somalia (mostly in the Jubbalands), which took part in the anti-Ethiopian insurgency and later ...

. The group merged with three other resistance groups, including Sheikh

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 i ...

' Asmara-based wing of the

Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia The Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS) was a Somali political party. A successor to the Islamic Courts Union, it was launched in September 2007. History of the ARS Members of the Islamic Courts Union and Somali opposition leaders ...

, to form

Hizbul Islam Hizbul Islam ("Islamic Party"), also known as Hizbul Islaami, Hisbi Islam, or Hezb-ul Islam, was a Somali Islamist group formed after four Islamist groups merged to oppose the new Somali government of President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed. The four gr ...

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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Turki, Hassan Abdullah Hersi al- Date of birth missing 1944 births 2015 deaths Al-Shabaab (militant group) members Leaders of Islamic terror groups