Abu Talha al-Sudani (Arabic: ابو طلحة السوداني) also known as Tariq Abdullah, was a Sudanese member of Al Qaeda terrorist organization, an explosives expert and a close aide of Osama bin Laden.[1]
Abu Talha al-Sudani ابو طلحة السوداني | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Sudan |
| Died | November 2007 |
| Known for | Chief operative for Al-Qaeda in East Africa |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  Al-Qaeda |
| Years of service | 1997–2007 |
| Battles / wars | Somali Civil War |
Al Qaeda
editHe is believed to have traveled to Southern Lebanon along with Saif al-Adel, Saif al-Islam al-Masri, Abu Ja`far al-Masri and Abu Salim al-Masri, where he trained alongside Hezbollah.[2]
A Sudanese national married to a Somali woman, al-Sudani had lived in Somalia since 1993. He was more recently identified as a close associate of Gouled Hassan Dourad, leader of a Mogadishu-based network that worked in support of Al Qaeda. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence revealed that al-Sudani had been involved with a plot to target the U.S. military base in Djibouti (see CJTF-HOA).
Al-Sudani was also believed to be the financier of the 1998 United States embassy bombings.[3]
In December 2006, the TFG ministers publicly claimed al-Sudani led a group of ICU fighters in Idaale as part of the War in Somalia, a claim which observers were widely skeptical of.[4] A month later he was the target of a U.S. Air Force AC-130 airstrike that allegedly killed an undetermined number (up to 70) of civilian nomadic tribesmen (denied by a US official), but not al-Sudani.[5][6]
According to a Pentagon official, al-Sudani was killed by Ethiopian forces in late November 2007 in the Badhadhe District. However, the U.S. government never officially confirmed his death.[7] On September 2, 2008, Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan confirmed the death of Abu Talha al-Sudani, referring to him as a "martyr".[8]
References
edit- ^ Downing, Wayne A. (2009). Al-Qa-ida-s (Mis)Adventures in the Horn of Africa. DIANE Publishing Company. p. 131. ISBN 9781437918298.
- ^ Hegghammer, Thomas (February 2008). "Deconstructing the Myth about Al- Qaida and Khobar" (PDF). CTC Sentinel. 1 (3). Combating Terrorism Center at West Point: 20–25.[permanent dead link]
- ^ DeYoung, Karen (2007-01-08). "U.S. Strike in Somalia Targets Al-Qaeda Figure". Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
- ^ "VOA News - Somali Fighting Continues, Despite Diplomatic Effort". Archived from the original on 2007-01-12. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
- ^ The Independent, January 13, 2007, "US strikes on al-Qa'ida chiefs kill nomads - Independent Online Edition > Africa". Archived from the original on 2007-10-18. Retrieved 2007-10-04.
- ^ "Somalia strike misses top al Qaeda suspects". Reuters. 2007-01-21. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
- ^ "Somalia on the Edge". TIME. 2007-11-29. Archived from the original on 2007-12-03. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
- ^ "Shabaab reaches out to al Qaeda senior leaders, announces death al Sudani | FDD's Long War Journal". 2 September 2008.
External links
edit- Abu Talha al Sudani Profile at GlobalSecurity.org
- Counter-Terrorism in Somalia: Losing Hearts and Minds? Crisis Group
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