Sheik Sharif Sheif Ahmed AP PHOTO

Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, considered a moderate member of the Council of Islamic Courts, went to a Kenyan police station along the Somali border Jan. 21 and was flown to Nairobi.

If Ahmed agrees to hold talk with Somalia's government, it could be a major step toward preventing the widespread insurgency that many Islamic leaders have promised in Somalia. He is not believed to be wanted by the authorities, as are other members of the Islamic group.

The United States said Jan. 22 it was not involved in protecting Ahmed, whose whereabouts in Nairobi were not known. In Somalia, the remnants of the Islamic courts are being hunted by Ethiopian troops and Somali government forces.

"The U.S. government is not holding or interrogating Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed and was not involved in his capture or surrender," a U.S. Embassy official said.

U.S. Ambassador Michael Ranneberger has said Ahmed is a moderate Islamic leader the U.S. believes should be part of a national reconciliation process in Somalia. Ahmed was the chairman of the Executive Council of Islamic Courts and shared the leadership with the Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, who was chairman of the court's legislative council.

Aweys is on a U.S. list of people with suspected ties to al-Qaida, though he has repeatedly denied having ties to international terrorists.

The Japan Times Weekly: Jan. 27, 2007
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