SOMALIA - AHLU SUNNAH WAL JAMA AND TFG SUPPORT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NAIROBI 001132

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/E AND A/S CARSON

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/08/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER SO
SUBJECT: SOMALIA - AHLU SUNNAH WAL JAMA AND TFG SUPPORT

REF: ADDIS ABABA 1275

Classified By: Pol/Econ Officer Jessica Davis Ba for reasons 1.4(b) and
(d)


1. (SBU) SUMMARY. On June 4, Somalia Transitional Federal
Government (TFG) President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed met
with Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jama (ASWJ) spiritual leaders from
Mogadishu over lunch at Villa Somalia, the presidential
compound, in the capital. At the meeting, which ASWJ
organized at President Sharif,s request, ASWJ leaders from
Mogadishu confirmed support for President Sharif and the TFG,
and ASWJ Chairman Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Muhiyadin said that
ASWJ would support the TFG with words and deeds against its
extremist opponents. President Sharif welcomed ASWJ
leaders, recognition and pledge of support, and said the TFG
will use military force to deal with groups opposed to it.


2. (C) While ASWJ factions in Central Somalia have also
pledged their support to the TFG, they are looking for top
leadership positions in the transitional government in
exchange for full cooperation in the fight against
extremists. The ASWJ factions in Central Somalia (reftel)
are less willing to fully back President Sharif and are
engaged against al-Shabaab on religious and ideological
grounds, as well as to prevent al-Shabaab from gaining a
strong foothold in this strategically important area. From
June 5 to 6, ASWJ in Galgadud Region battled al-Shabaab and
Hisbul Islam, reportedly including foreign fighters, in the
town of Wahbo 250 miles north of Mogadishu. The Head of
Public Affairs for ASWJ in Galgadud claims that the
Government of Ethiopia is providing it with weapons and
ammunition in its fight against al-Shabaab, and in a June 8
conversation with the Somalia Unit asked for material and/or
financial support from the U.S. END SUMMARY.

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President Sharif Meets with
ASWJ Leaders in Mogadishu
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3. (SBU) On June 4, President Sharif held a lunch meeting
with ASWJ top spiritual leaders from Mogadishu at Villa
Somalia. ASWJ Spokesman Sheikh Abdulqadir Somow, who
organized the meeting, told us 150 prominent ASWJ leaders
drawn from ASWJ,s four Dariqa (parish/sects) attended the
meeting, although most ASWJ leaders present at the meeting
came from Mogadishu. Also in attendance were Deputy Prime
Minister and Minister of Finance Sheikh Sharif Hassan and
other Members of Parliament.


4. (C) Sheikh Somow told us ASWJ organized the meeting at
President Sharif,s request. President Sharif, Sharif
Hassan, Sheikh Somow and Sheikh Muhiyadin had several other
meetings prior to this larger June 4 meeting, at which
President Sharif sought to gain ASWJ,s support against
extremists seeking to depose his government. In several
conversations with Somow, he has confirmed that the Mogadishu
branches of ASWJ fully support Sharif and have public
expressed their backing since President Sharif,s election in
January.


5. (C) When the meeting officially opened, all of the ASWJ
leaders pledged recognition and paid allegiance to President
Sharif as the leader of Somalia. Sheikh Somow commented that
such tribute, loyalty and respect for leadership is in
accordance with ASWJ spiritual culture as dictated by Islam.
In his speech, ASWJ Chairman Sheikh Muhiyadin unequivocally
stated that ASWJ has full confidence in the President and the
TFG. Just like all the other speakers, Sheikh Muhiyadin
announced that ASWJ will support the TFG with words and deeds
against its extremist opponents. (Note: In April, Somow
conducted a religious service in a TFG military base in
Mogadishu, urging the security forces to conduct themselves
as "proud Muslims" and remain loyal to the TFG. End Note.)


6. (C) According to Sheikh Somow, ASWJ leaders expressed
trepidation regarding the possibility of ASWJ arming and
declaring itself as an independent armed faction operating
exclusively of the TFG. ASWJ leaders from Mogadishu are of
the view that all its members should join the TFG and share
roles to confront the enemy (i.e. al-Shabaab and Hisbul
Islam) as one. ASWJ is concerned that if groups fighting in

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the name of ASWJ continue outside the authority of the TFG,
this phenomenon will pose serious security challenges to the
government and will further complicate an already complex
situation. Sheikh Somow said ASWJ spiritual leaders backed
down from openly condemning groups fighting in ASWJ,s name
due to the fear of emboldening extremist groups. (Note: This
is a direct reference to ASWJ groups in central Somalia
regions such as Hiran and Galgadud, who continue to take up
arms against al-Shabaab and Hisbul Islam. End Note.)


7. (C) President Sharif welcomed ASWJ leaders, recognition
and pledge of support and promised to lead the country well.
President Sharif said the TFG will use military force to deal
with groups opposed to it, as calls for peace through
dialogue have repeatedly been turned down. He said foreign
fighters have come to the country to seek paradise killing
Somalis. President Sharif criticized those fighting the TFG
as having no knowledge of Islam.

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ASWJ in Central Somalia
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8. (C) On June 8, the Somalia Unit spoke with ASWJ Head of
Public Affairs in Galgadud Region Sheikh Mohamed Yusuf Hefow
via phone. Hefow stressed that the aim of ASWJ in Galgadud
is to work for peace and that the recent fighting with
al-Shabaab, Hisbul Islam and other allied extremists emerged
out of a need for self-defense. Hefow confirmed that ASWJ in
Galgadud has received what he called &negligible8 support
from the Government of Ethiopia in the form of weapons and
ammunition, and repeatedly asked for U.S. material and/or
financial support as ASWJ groups in Central Somalia continue
to battle extremists. When asked about the June 4 meeting in
Mogadishu between President Sharif and ASWJ leaders, Hefow
stated that his faction of ASWJ was not invited, and noted
that some ASWJ leaders in Mogadishu view his group and ASWJ
factions elsewhere in Central Somalia as &too militant.8


9. (C) Regarding the fierce fighting that took place in the
town of Wahbo in Galgadud Region, about 250 miles north of
Mogadishu, on June 5 and 6, Hefow said ASWJ had fought to
repel a two-front offensive launched by approximately 800 to
1,000 al-Shabaab and Hisbul Islam fighters. Although ASWJ
killed approximately 130 extremists and injured an additional
100, ASWJ withdrew from Wohbo to positions just outside of
the town, where they remain. Hefow said foreign fighters
were among the ranks of the attacking extremists, including
&Middle Easterners and Americans,8 and cited documents that
were found with English writing on them as proof of AmCit
presence. Hefow also said Hassan Dahir Aweys and Sheikh
Hassan al-Turki were among the leaders of the extremists.


10. (C) When asked about linkages with the TFG, Hefow noted
that ASWJ in Galgadud Region has had discussions with TFG
Minister of Security Omar Hashi, although he did not specify
when. Hefow also stated that ASWJ in Galgadud,s emissary in
Mogadishu, Sheikh Salad Isse Derse, met with TFG President
Sharif and Prime Minister Omar Sharmarke in May. While Hefow
welcomed these discussions and said that both sides found
much common ground, he said nothing came from them because
the TFG would not offer ASWJ in Galgadud any material support
in its fight against extremists. However, Hefow told us
repeatedly and without prompting that ASWJ in Galgadud
supports the TFG. He did acknowledge that some in the TFG
view ASWJ as an enemy because ASWJ never fully supported the
Union if Islamic Courts in 2006.

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Comment
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11. (C) ASWJ clearly enjoys widespread support in parts of
Mogadishu and Central Somalia, and ASWJ groups in both areas
have publicly expressed support for the TFG. Recent events
indicate that ASWJ in Mogadishu is willing to demonstrate
increased support for the TFG, without condition, while ASWJ
factions in Central Somalia are less willing to fully back
the TFG. Like al-Shabaab, ASWJ is not a monolithic group,
and some in the ASWJ leadership in Mogadishu see ASWJ groups
in Hiran and Galgadud regions in Central Somalia as too
militaristic and willing to take up arms. Despite these
differences, ASWJ groups throughout Somalia continue to

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pledge support to the TFG, and ASWJ and the TFG continue to
maintain open channels of communication at high levels. END
COMMENT.
RANNEBERGER