Abu Talha al-Sudani
{{Short description|Sudanese Islamist}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Abu Talha al-Sudani
ابو طلحة السوداني
| image = Abu Talha al-Sudani.jpg
| birth_place = Sudan
| death_date = November 2007
| death_place = Kamboni, Somalia
| known_for = Chief operative for Al-Qaeda in East Africa
| module = {{Infobox military person|embed=yes
|branch =
|serviceyears = 1997–2007
|battles = Somali Civil War
}}
}}
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.{{Cite book |last=Downing |first=Wayne A. |title=Al-Qa-ida-s (Mis)Adventures in the Horn of Africa |publisher=DIANE Publishing Company |year=2009 |isbn=9781437918298 |pages=131 |language=en}}
Al Qaeda
He 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.{{cite journal |url=http://www.wepapers.com/Papers/84875/Deconstructing_The_Myth_About_Al-_Qaida_And_Khobar.pdf |last=Hegghammer |first=Thomas |date=February 2008 |title=Deconstructing the Myth about Al- Qaida and Khobar |journal=CTC Sentinel |volume=1 |issue=3 |pages=20–25 |publisher=Combating Terrorism Center at West Point }}{{Dead link|date=April 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
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.{{cite news
|title=U.S. Strike in Somalia Targets Al-Qaeda Figure
|newspaper=Washington Post
|date=2007-01-08
|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801822.html
|accessdate=2007-01-08
| first=Karen
| last=DeYoung}}
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.{{cite web|url=http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-12-21-voa25.cfm |title=VOA News - Somali Fighting Continues, Despite Diplomatic Effort |accessdate=2007-07-25 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070112035615/http://voanews.com/english/2006-12-21-voa25.cfm |archivedate=2007-01-12 }} 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.The Independent, January 13, 2007, {{cite web|url=http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/article2149716.ece |title=US strikes on al-Qa'ida chiefs kill nomads - Independent Online Edition > Africa |accessdate=2007-10-04 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071018153225/http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/article2149716.ece |archivedate=2007-10-18 }}{{Cite news |date=2007-01-21 |title=Somalia strike misses top al Qaeda suspects |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-somalia-conflict-idUSHUN14121320070111 |access-date=2023-11-06}}
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.{{Cite web |date=2007-11-29 |title=Somalia on the Edge |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C1689207-2%2C00.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071203160037/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1689207-2,00.html |archive-date=2007-12-03 |access-date=2023-11-06 |website=TIME}} On September 2, 2008, Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan confirmed the death of Abu Talha al-Sudani, referring to him as a "martyr".{{Cite web | url=http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2008/09/shabab_reaches_out_t.php |title = Shabaab reaches out to al Qaeda senior leaders, announces death al Sudani | FDD's Long War Journal|date = 2 September 2008}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.globalsecurity.org/security/profiles/abu_talha_al_sudani.htm Abu Talha al Sudani] Profile at GlobalSecurity.org
- [https://archive.today/20070503232303/http://storm.prohosting.com/mbali/doc3.htm Counter-Terrorism in Somalia: Losing Hearts and Minds?] Crisis Group
{{SudaneseTerrorism|state=collapsed}}
{{Al-Qaeda}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sudani, Abu Talha}}
Category:Assassinated al-Qaeda members
Category:Somalian al-Qaeda members
Category:Year of birth missing
{{Somalia-bio-stub}}