In a recent interview released by the Muslim Youth Centre (MYC), Kenyan jihadist Ahmad Iman Ali downplays his leadership role within al-Shabaab and professes his total submission and obedience to top al-Shabaab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane.
"[W]e need to understand that giving our allegiance to the amir [Godane], while listening and obeying him in what is not forbidden is regarded as a compulsory ibadah [acts of worship], and I thank Allah SW [may He be glorified and exalted] that I fulfilled my obligation without coercion from anyone," he said in the interview published July 4th via Twitter.
This is the first time Ali -- once referred to as "the supreme emir of Kenya for al-Shabaab" -- has spoken publicly since he left his native Kenya for Kismayo in 2009 along with hundreds of Kenyan recruits.
Ali's vow of obedience comes at a time when Godane has been struggling with open rebellion from a number of senior al-Shabaab leaders opposed to what they call his tyrannical rule.
Nonetheless, Ali's stipulation of obeying "what is not forbidden" is noteworthy because clerics and Islamic scholars have questioned the validity of Godane's religious interpretations. Godane's use of Prophet Mohammed's sayings and Qu'ranic verses out of context to justify the killing of his dissenters is a distortion of Islam, Somali religious leaders told Sabahi, therefore Godane's followers are not bound to obey the al-Shabaab leader in sinful acts.
Asked whether jihad should be global or local in scope -- a matter of strategy that has been a contentious issue among al-Shabaab leaders -- Ali appeared in lockstep with Godane. "Jihad is of two types: defensive and offensive, and defensive takes priority," he said.
Acknowledging mass defections, denying leadership role in al-Shabaab
Ali acknowledged the growing rate of defectors, but denied allegations that he was leaving young recruits stranded on the battlefield.
"I have not heard anyone fleeing the battlefield and using my name as an excuse, if they are there then I congratulate them for their ingenuity," he said. " am in no position to give guarantees."
Ali admits there were scores of Kenyan recruits "who claim they left Somalia because I never supported them".
"My journey to jihad was an obligation that I had postponed for a very long time and I used to advice the youth, time and again, that our responsibility lies in the battlefield. So if anyone thinks that I abandoned them because of power and fame, my response is yes but power and fame [is] in aakhera [afterlife], not in this world," he said.
Ali goes on to deny he was ever nominated as supreme emir of Kenya by al-Shabaab in January 2012 -- which the MYC confirmed at the time, calling it a "recognition from our Somali brothers who have fought tirelessly against the unbelievers on the importance of the Kenyan mujahedeen in Somalia".
Nonetheless, Ali said he had never heard of such an announcement. "[As] I said before I hold no post, am a mujaahid [jihadi fighter] like any other mujaahid, so regarding the amir in Kenya there are no achievements nor failures as the position itself is non-existent," he said. "As I said before I neither hold a post at the moment nor see myself holding any in the near future."
Shedding light on demoralised al-Shabaab
Although the interview seeks to incite followers into joining the fight in Somalia, Ali inadvertently sheds more light onto the power struggles and dynamics within the disjointed and demoralised group, said David Ochami, a Mombasa-based journalist who covers militant groups in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa for Kenya's The Standard.
"It appears the interview was staged and managed by al-Shabaab to show that fighters are united under al-Shabaab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane," he told Sabahi. "By pledging allegiance to Godane, al-Shabaab is sending a message to rebellious fighters questioning Godane's leadership to change their mind and return to the fold."
He pointed to an exchange of direct messages between the MYC and al-Shabaab on Twitter two days before the interview was published as evidence that it was probably conducted in Somalia by al-Shabaab and sent to MYC to publish.
By retracting Ali's position 18 months after the nomination, al-Shabaab is clearly desperate to portray Godane as the only centre of power, Ochami said.
"In public, Ali is acting like a puppet by agreeing to look bad, but the demotion could also brew further discontent among his supporters who viewed him as emir," he said.
Distorting the past, distracting the masses
In the interview, Ali attempted to fuel sentiments of retaliation by tying the struggles of Kenyan al-Shabaab militants to unrelated tragedies decades ago.
"[A] war zone is not affirmed by announcement rather by the enmity shown by the kuffar [infidels] even if nobody makes any announcement about it," he said. "So Kenya was actually a war zone since the time of the Wagalla massacre."
The 1984 incident was a result of prolonged clashes over land between the Muslim clans of Degodia and Ajuran. In the event, officers deployed to restore order killed thousands of people, which the Kenyan government acknowledged in 2000.
In a report presented to President Uhuru Kenyatta May 21st, Kenya's Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission catalogued a variety of human rights violations from the Wagalla incident and others, and offered recommendations to prevent history from repeating itself. The report will be tabled in parliament for discussion at a yet to be established date.
Referencing the Wagalla massacre is a cheap attempt to incite the masses by stirring emotions among peace-loving residents of Wajir, said Wajir County Commissioner Naftali Mung'athia.
Until the interview, MYC justified its jihadist activities on Kenya's involvement in the African Union Mission in Somalia and the restoration of the Somali government. In this interview, however, the group revises its position and uses clan conflicts in Kenya to attract new fighters, Mung'athia said.
Ali's unprecedented interview is also an attempt to undo the damage caused by American-born jihadist Abu Mansoor al-Amriki, who revealed details about disagreements among al-Shabaab leaders over the group's strategy, he said.
"[Al-Amriki] did much damage and the group is coming out when he is no longer on the scene to attempt to steer their propaganda machine back on track and save face," he told Sabahi.
Asking someone like Ali, who emphatically denies holding any post in al-Shabaab's ranks, to do the interview indicates Godane's desperation for support, said retired Kenya Defence Forces Major Bashir Hajji Abdullahi.
Godane has run short of allies in his quest to have complete control of the splintering group, but this interview will do little to persuade the rebels to come back to the fold, he said.
"The damage was done with the treatment of [Abu Mansoor al-Amriki] and other al-Shabaab leaders," he told Sabahi. "The foot soldiers look at their leaders' treatment and conclude that the same will happen to the lesser mortals."
Source: http://sabahionline.com/en_GB/articles/ ... feature-01