Al-Sharq al-Awsat report Khalid Mahmud in Cairo: “Leader of Islamic Courts in Somalia Confirms to Al-Sharq al-Awsat His Plans to Resign; Shaykh Sharif Does Not Rule Out New American Invasion of His Country, Says Willing to Negotiate With Somali President Without Conditions”

Shaykh Sharif Shaykh Ahmed, leader of the Islamic Courts in Somalia, said that he is considering resigning his post following his militia’s successive victories and seizure of the Somali capital Mogadishu the day before yesterday after the warlords were defeated and forced to flee the city. 

Speaking to Al-Sharq al-Awsat over the telephone from his headquarters in Mogadishu, Sharif, 42, said he feels this his work is complete following this “unexpected” victory, and added: “The mission is now complete, thanks to God, and I wish to give others the opportunity to shoulder the responsibility in this new era.”

He described his militia’s victory over the warlords as a miracle when considering its humble resources and weak capabilities. He did not rule out a US invasion of the city [Mogadishu] or a US military operation in cooperation with Ethiopia in response to the successive defeats suffered by the militias of the warlords in the “Coalition for Combating Terrorism and Restoring Peace.” 

Sharif criticized what was announced by the US State Department’s official spokesman regarding his country’s fears that Mogadishu in its current state would turn into a safe haven for what remains of the Al-Qa’ida Organization’s terrorists, saying that “the Islamic Courts do not practice or tolerate terrorism.”  He accused America of being the world’s largest terrorist country, and wondered who gave it the right to appoint itself teacher and disciplinarian and tell people what they can and cannot do. 

Following is the text of the interview conducted from Cairo:

[Mahmud] How did your almost primitive forces manage these successive victories over the warlords?

[Ahmed] It was a miracle that transpired through the grace of God.  We knew it was suicide mission but we had no alternative.  We knew the enemy had the manpower, munitions, weapons, and intelligence and financial support of the US Administration, but we fought out of faith.

[Mahmud] It is said that your quick success mirrors that of the Taliban Movement in Afghanistan just before its fall.

[Ahmed] I am not acquainted with the Taliban and I do not know enough about their experience to judge them, but ours is a different environment.  What happened was unexpected, and had you asked any impartial military expert about the chances of this happening, he would have probably told you there was zero chance.  

[Mahmud] Did officers from the former Somali Army help train the Islamic Courts’ militia?

[Ahmed] Yes they did.  We welcomed anyone with the willingness and ability, and we did not turn down any assistance no matter how humble or insignificant.  

[Mahmud] Are there any veiled women in the Islamic Courts militia?

[Ahmed] Yes there are, but they are very small in number.  They asked to receive military-style weapons training, which we provided, and we allowed them to perform certain road-protection duties. They wanted to be part of the battle against the warlords because they witnessed the size of the destruction the warlords brought to the city, not to mention the rapes, theft, and looting.

[Mahmud] How do you feel now that you are the strongest and most influential man in Mogadishu?

[Ahmed] I am proud of what we have achieved in the interest of my people, who suffered atrocities at the hands of the warlords in the absence of the international community. I will not keep it from you that I am seriously considering resigning and stepping down from my post as leader of the Islamic Courts.

[Mahmud] Is this a new tactic, or do you miss your old teaching job?

[Ahmed] Neither. I feel that I have completed my mission and that it is time for others to lead the way because we are nearing a new era that needs new blood.

[Mahmud] Have you informed your followers and the Islamic Courts’ leaders of your plans to resign?

[Ahmed] I will tell them the first chance I get. The mission’s objectives have been met and I have nothing to add.

[Mahmud] Do you plan to capitalize on the situation and reorganize the courts?

[Ahmed] This is the idea for now and we have already begun implementing it. We must determine the size of our forces and reorganize them. We will involve the people through their different civil organizations and tribesmen, and my predecessor might just do that.  

[Mahmud] Will Shaykh Tahir Uways, for example, be your ideal successor?

[Ahmed] I do not know because it is not my decision — it is that of the all the people in the Islamic Courts. We function according to a mechanism that stems from the principle of Shura [consultation], and I might be succeeded by someone better than I, someone who can keep up with the new era.

[Mahmud] The US State Department’s official spokesman expressed fears that Mogadishu under your control could transform into a safe haven for terrorists and remnants of the Al-Qa’ida Organization.

[Ahmed] This is an example of American vulgarity and arrogance.  We are not terrorists and we will not allow anyone to hijack the capital. We have said hundreds of times that America’s talk of terrorism in Somalia is fabricated and serves suspicious political purposes. 

We do not want Somalia to be part of the current worldwide controversy over terrorism. We want to live in our country the way we please without any foreign interference.

[Mahmud] But they are saying that you are harboring in your home some of the terrorists wanted by the United States in connection with the two US embassy bombings in Dar al-Salam and Nairobi.

[Ahmed] This is untrue and unfounded. My home is open to many people and I do not know what we have to do with those being hunted by America, which we believe is the world’s largest terrorist country despite its claims of pursuing democracy and noble human values.

[Mahmud] Do you think President George Bush’s Administration might consider invading Mogadishu to hunt down those fugitives and end your reign over the city?

[Ahmed] Yes I do. America had three options:  It could either move through the warlords – an option that has already proven its failure and is no longer possible — or through Ethiopia, but it would then need the consent of the Somali transitional authority and I doubt President Abdullahi Yusuf would grant such consent. 

We have information that Ethiopia prepared a 500-strong force consisting mainly of mercenaries in preparation for some sort of response that we are expecting today or tomorrow. We have also learned that it summoned some of the warlords in order to reorganize its affairs in Somalia, and that it might consider an invasion, but we still do not know. 

As for the third option, it is direct US military action against us in Mogadishu, but we will be ready to teach the Americans a lesson they will not forget, and we will recreate their 1993 defeat in Somalia.   

[Mahmud] So you are talking about an Ethiopian-US military or security operation against you?

[Ahmed] Yes. The government of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi is closely cooperating with the Bush Administration on the Somali issue, particularly the Islamic current there.  We have known this for a while and it will come as no surprise to us.

[Mahmud] President Abdullahi Yusuf and his prime minister, Ali Mohamed Gedi, welcomed proposals of a dialogue with you, do you feel the same?

[Ahmed] Yes we do, and we have not set any pre-conditions, but no official contacts have been made so far. In the past, they wanted to act as mediators between us and the warlords, but matters have changed and we want to find a solution for Somalia’s problems.  The Somali people paid a hefty price to expel the warlords, and they must be consulted on what happens now.

[Mahmud] Have you concluded your consultations over the formation of a local authority to run Mogadishu’s affairs?

[Ahmed] No, not yet, but we want to involve more people in these consultations. We have been contacted by Somali professors, doctors, and scientists living abroad, who have made suggestions that we welcomed. We are still working on forming this authority as fast as possible so that this victory may not be wasted.

[Mahmud] Do you plan on declaring Mogadishu an independent state like the Somaliland Republic in the north? 

[Ahmed] No, Mogadishu will always be the capital. We are not considering disengagement. We are advocates of unity, and Mogadishu must play its role within this framework.

[Mahmud] Would you relinquish your control of the city and hand it over to the transitional government if it vows to uphold the law and maintain security?

[Ahmed] This could happen, but we need to return to the people in the streets and learn of their opinion on this matter because this decision will affect them and they must be part of it.