Abdullahi Ali Afrah (March 9, 1953 – July 1, 2008), born in

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

, was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

immigrant who returned to

Mogadishu Mogadishu, locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Ocean for millennia and has ...

as a leader in the

Union of Islamic Courts The Islamic Courts Union () was a legal and political organization founded by Mogadishu-based Sharia courts during the early 2000s to combat the lawlessness stemming from the Somali Civil War. By mid-to-late 2006, the Islamic Courts had expanded ...

(UIC). He was killed on 1 July 2008 in a battle with the Ethiopian troops in Mataban

Hiiraan Hiran (, ) is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in central Somalia and part of the Hirshabelle State. Overview Hiran is bordered by the Somali Region of Ethiopia (or the 1908 Convention Line) to the northwest, the Somali provinces of Galgu ...

. Shephard, Michelle.

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...

Canadian insurgent 'Asparo' killed in Somalia
July 3, 2008

Life

Afrah was born in Ceelgaras,

. He left there with his parents to

when he was five years old. After he got his master's degree, Asparo moved to

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Canada, where he stayed for ten more years.

Education

Afrah got his bachelor's degree in

Agricultural Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created f ...

from

Lafoole University Lafoole University, sometimes referred to as Lafoole College, is a teaching institution in Lafoole, Afgooye District, situated in the Lower Shebelle region in southern Somalia. Background Lafoole University, Somalia's premier teacher training co ...

in 1983, and his master's degree in

Crop science Agricultural science (or agriscience for short) is a broad multidisciplinary field of biology that encompasses the parts of exact, natural, economic and social sciences that are used in the practice and understanding of agriculture. Professiona ...

from

Texas Tech University Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public university, public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the flagship instit ...

in 1986.Evaluation of Laboratory Tests For Predicting Field Performance Of Sorghum Seed
He also got a bachelor's degree in the

Islamic Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

studies from the

University of Science and Technology, Sana'a The University of Science and Technology, Yemen (USTY) () is a non-profit university located in Aden, Yemen. The university is a member of the Association of Arab Universities, Arab Higher Education Institutions, Arab Network for Open and Dis ...

in 2005. He joined a variety of other universities but did not complete.

Canada

Afrah moved to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

following the outbreak of the

Somali Civil War The Somali Civil War (; ) is an List of ongoing armed conflicts, ongoing civil war that is taking place in Somalia. It grew out of resistance to the military junta which was led by Siad Barre during the 1980s. From 1988 to 1990, the Somali Armed ...

in 1991, became a Canadian citizen and worked as a

security guard A security guard (also known as a security inspector, security officer, factory guard, or protective agent) is a person employed by a government or private party to protect the employing party's assets (property, people, equipment, money, etc.) ...

with the

Toronto Catholic District School Board The Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB, known as English-language Separate District School Board No. 40 prior to 1999) is an English-language public-separate school board for Toronto, Ontario, Canada, headquartered in North York. ...

, before operating a Somalia

wire transfer Wire transfer, bank transfer, or credit transfer, is a method of electronic funds transfer from one person or entity to another. A wire transfer can be made from one bank account to another bank account, or through a transfer of cash at a cash ...

service, and eventually co-owning a grocery store on

Dundas Street West Dundas Street () is a major historic arterial road in Ontario, Canada. The road connects the city of Toronto with its western suburbs and several cities in southwestern Ontario. Three provincial highways— 2, 5, and 99—followed long section ...

. Shephard, Michelle,

"From T.O. to Mogadishu"
October 21, 2006

Return to Somalia and Islamic Courts Union

In 1996, Asparo moved back to

with his family. "I have been there, just like everybody else, working and trying to make a good life. I tried my best and when I finished my intention to stay there I just moved back to Somalia", Afrah said, during a telephone interview with

National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper and the flagship publication of the American-owned Postmedia Network. It is published Mondays through Saturdays, with Monday released as a digital e-edition only.

.Canadian in Somalia defends Taliban
He took his wife and children back to Mogadishu in 1997, where he held a senior position in the consultative council of the

. Afrah's support of the UIC led

William Kaplan William Kaplan (born 24 May 1957) is a Canadian lawyer, arbitrator, emeritus professor of law and author. He is a recipient of the ''Law Society Medal'' from the Law Society of Upper Canada (1999) for his contributions to the legal profession a ...

to brand him a "Taliban wannabe" in December 2006. Kaplan, William,
Is it time to close Hotel Canada?
", December 25, 2006 After the UIC were defeated in the end of 2006, Afrah stayed behind in Mogadishu. In a telephone interview with Canadian journalist

Michelle Shephard Michelle Shephard (born 1972) is an independent investigative reporter (previously with the ''Toronto Star'' newspaper), author and filmmaker. She has been awarded the Michener Award for public service journalism and won Canada's top newspaper pr ...

, Afrah said that "the only solution is that Ethiopia should get out of Somalia peacefully, or with force," and he vowed that "they will be out, either willingly or unwillingly." Shephard, Michelle,

Top Islamist ponders return to Toronto
January 8, 2007

Death

On 1 July 2008, on his way back from his birthplace (Ceelgaras), Asparo was killed by the Ethiopian troops during a violent fighting in central

, in a place called Matabaan, in

province.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Afrah, Abdullahi 2008 deaths Somalian emigrants to Canada Somalian Islamists Canadian Muslims Somalian Muslims Lafoole University alumni Texas Tech University alumni University of Science and Technology, Sanaa alumni 1953 births Deaths by firearm in Somalia