Ahmad Diriye was born in 1972 in
Mustshil in the
Hararghe province of
Ethiopia. He is believed to be in his fifties and is a member of the Bijamal subclan of the
Dir clan. According to
Africa Confidential he is a cousin of
Ahmed Abdi Godane. Diriye was a member of
Al-Ittihad al-Islamiyya since 1996 and later served as an officer in the
Islamic Courts Union. He headed a Quranic school in Kismayo.
Emir of al-Shabaab (2014–present) Diriye was named al-Shabaab leader in September 2014, after Godane was killed by a U.S. airstrike. Though picked by Godane loyalists, Diriye immediately reached out to insurgent leaders who had been alienated by his leadership, such as
Fuad Qalaf and released dozens of Shabaab commanders who had been previously imprisoned under Godane.
Abdukadir Mohamed Abdukadir unsuccessfully pressured Diriye to switch the groups allegiance from
Al-Qaeda to the
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria during the latter groups rapid rise in 2014. Following his accession to emir, Diriye reiterated the al-Shabaab's allegiance to Al-Qaeda. ==See also==