After re-swearing fealty to Al-Qaeda and its founding fathers, preaching unity and providing sister groups with guerilla warfare strategies, Shabaab Mujahideen Emir Ahmed Diriye Abu Ubaidah may have succumbed to his lengthy and debilitating kidney illness. S.I Intelligence reported that his kidneys failed completely on the last weekend of June 2018. The leader of the terrorist organization responsible for thousands of deaths of innocent civilians has been suffering from chronic renal complications that couldn’t be treated without surgery abroad, and being a leader of terrorists, Abu Ubaidah couldn’t fly out of Somalia for treatment.
- In late May S.I analyzed Diriye’s audio publications in April and May and found them resembling indicators of his final journey as Shabaab’s Emir. He was seeking a higher calling and a place among Al-Qaeda legends. His fealty to Al-Qaeda and reign as Emir in Somalia was noteworthy to sister organizations all which he overshadowed with brutality/terrorists activities. S.I analysts found out that Diriye was dying and that he had moved locations and was back in Jilib after a 4 month stay in Gedo. He was in Jilib to die.
- On the night of June 26th 2018, a Somali Army Colonel in charge of the 43rd Brigade, Col. Ismail Sheikh Isahaq, told the army radio that Ahmed Diriiye had died in Jiliib, the headquarters of the terrorist group in Somalia’s Middle Juba Region. According to S.I intelligence sources, Emir Ahmed Diriye Abu Ubaidah maybe dead but there’s no evidence to support the claim. For months, speculation has been rife including allegations that the Shura Council (the secret top leadership consisting of 8 members) had appointed Ali Fidow to lead the Al-Qaeda affiliate in Somalia after Ubaidah’s ill health turned chronic forcing him to remain bedridden and completely useless to the terror group. S.I Projected Diriye would chose to die at the Shabaab Mujahideen headquaters of Jiliib where he heralded the terrorist organization to current state.
- Diriye took up leadership in 2014 after the death of Emir Godane. Godane was taken out by an American drone. He had made a name for himself, a ruthless persecutor of dissenters. Diriye may have died the most powerful and successful leader of the terrorist group which has been classified as the deadliest in Africa and somehow worldwide. During his leadership, the extremists conducted some of the most deadly attacks targeting African Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) troops and Somali National Army (SNA). Some of the deadliest bombings in Somalia was carried out during his leadership. This is viewed as success from a military perspective. Unfortunately it’s during Diriye’s realm that the terrorist group lost ground and strategic areas including economic lifelines.
