Abdirahman Mohamed Warsame (born between 1957 and 1962), known by his
nom de guerre
A ''nom de guerre'' (, 'war name') is a pseudonym chosen by someone to use when they are involved in a particular activity, especially fighting in a war.
In Ancien régime, ''ancien régime'' Kingdom of France, France it would be adopted by each n ...
Mahad Karate, is the deputy
emir
Emir (; ' (), also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic language, Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocratic, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person po ...
of
Al-Shabaab and the leader of Al-Shabaab's intelligence service, the Amniyat.
Early life
Mahad Karate was born as Abdirahman Mohamed Warsame between 1957 and 1962 in the town of
Xarardheere
Harardhere (, ) is a historic town in the Mudug province of Somalia. It is situated in the autonomous Galmudug state and serves as the capital of the Harardhere District.
History
The town was controlled by the al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group Al- ...
in the
Mudug region,
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 ...
. He is a member of the
Hawiye
The Hawiye (; ) are one of the principal and largest of the Somali clans, tracing their lineage back to Sheikh Ahmed Bin Abdulrahman Bin Uthman, also known as Sheikh Hawiye, the eponymous figure of the clan. They are considered the earliest do ...
clan. Before he joined Al-Shabaab and before the
Somali Rebellion
The Somali Rebellion was the start of the Somali Civil War that began in the 1970s and resulted in the collapse of the Somali Democratic Republic in 1991. The rebellion effectively began in 1978 following a failed coup d’état and Presiden ...
, Mahad was a member of the Somali intelligence service of the revolutionary government. He later joined
Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya
Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya (AIAI; ) was an Islamist politico-military group in Somalia. Formed in 1983 through a merger of smaller Islamist groups, the organization was the most powerful Islamic movement in the country during the late 80s and early ...
after the Somali Rebellion before joining al-Shabaab He speaks
Somali,
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
and basic
Swahili
Swahili may refer to:
* Swahili language, a Bantu language officially used in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda and widely spoken in the African Great Lakes.
* Swahili people, an ethnic group in East Africa.
* Swahili culture, the culture of the Swahili p ...
.
Militant Career
Al-Shabaab
Karate was a member of Al-Shabaab's security and financial unit until he was considered the new leader of Al-Shabaab with
Ahmad Diriye, though Ahmad Diriye was chosen for it, he became the deputy emir. Due to this, an inter-conflict arose with supporters of Karate and supporters of Diriye having disputes with each other and armed conflicts, with one example being a 2023 conflict between a pro-Karate faction against a pro-Dirie faction in
Jilib
Jilib is a city in the Middle Juba region of Somalia. It currently serves as the ''de facto'' capital of the Islamic Emirate of Somalia controlled by al-Shabaab. Jilib has an estimated population of around 100,000 inhabitants and covers an area ...
and Hargeisa-Yarey settlement in
Middle Juba
Middle Juba (, , ) is an administrative region (''Administrative divisions of Somalia, gobol'') in southern Somalia. With its capital at Bu'aale, it is located in the States and regions of Somalia, autonomous Jubaland region.
Middle Juba is bord ...
, about 400 kilometres (248 miles) south of
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 ...
.
The Amniyat, al-Shabaab's intelligence and security wing, has been instrumental in conducting suicide attacks and assassinations throughout Somalia and neighboring countries, including Kenya. Under the leadership of Karate, the Amniyat orchestrated the April 2, 2015,
attack on Garissa University College in
Kenya
Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
. This devastating assault, which deliberately targeted
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
students and resulted in the deaths of 150 people, remains al-Shabaab's deadliest operation in Kenya. After this operation, the
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and superv ...
designated Karate as a
Specially Designated Global Terrorist
A Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) is a person or entity that has been designated as such by the United States Department of State or the U.S. Department of the Treasury. An SDGT designation is made under authority of U.S. Executive ...
(SDGT) in response to the attack and later, on November 11, 2015, offered $5 million for any information leading to the arrest or death of Karate. Even after the designation, Karate remained in command and directed Amniyat attacks throughout Somalia. In January 2016, the Amniyat, under his leadership, ambushed a Kenyan army base in
El Adde, Somalia, killing over 100 soldiers.
In February 2016, media reports surfaced claiming that Mahad Karate and 50 other militants had been killed in a Kenyan airstrike targeting an Amniyat training camp. However, al-Shabaab denied the strike, and a Somali intelligence source expressed doubts about Karate's death. After reports of his possible death, media sources offered little information on Karate's activities until February 26, 2021, when the
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...
placed him on its sanctions list for his role in al-Shabaab.
In May 2022, Mahad Karate was interviewed by the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
broadcasting network
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
. During the interview, he discussed the incompatibility of Islam and democracy, stating: “the truth is, on this earth, nobody has achieved their principles, systems, and administration by being peaceful...
Democracy
Democracy (from , ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which political power is vested in the people or the population of a state. Under a minimalist definition of democracy, rulers are elected through competitiv ...
is a religion for non-Muslims. It's against our beliefs and identity. We are Muslims.
Islam
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 ...
and democracy cannot be compatible.”.
In 2022, the United States announced rewards of up to $10 million each for information leading to the identification of three key Al-Shabaab figures: emir
Ahmed Diriye, second-in-command Mahad Karate, and US citizen
Jehad Mostafa, who held various roles within the group. The bounty was doubled from the $5 million a few years earlier.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karate, Mahad
1957 births
1962 births
Living people
Al-Shabaab (militant group) members
People from Mudug