ICE officials in Washington, D.C., have deported a former Somali military official for committing torture, terrorism and other human rights violations against civilians.
Yousuf Abdi Ali, a 71-year-old officer also known as “Tuke,” was deported from the United States by ICE authorities on December 20. He was a lieutenant colonel in the Somali National Army and commander of the 5th Brigade in the northwest. Somalia was under the Siad Barre dictatorship from 1987 to 1989.
As a senior official in the Somali National Army, Ali is believed to have supervised terrorist activities against the Isaak clan in northwestern Somalia. He is believed to have committed a series of human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, torture, and arbitrary detention.
As the end of the Biden administration approaches, the number of ice country deportations will catch up with Trump-era numbers in 2024.
(Immigration/Immigration Residency Control and Customs Enforcement)
According to a Dec. 23 statement from ICE, the Somali National Army committed numerous human rights violations against civilians at the time, including executing suspected political opponents, burning entire towns, illegally using landmines, and destroying water reservoirs. was. To target civilians.
In February 2024, a Justice Department immigration judge issued a 65-page judgment finding that Ali personally engaged in torture while leading the Somali National Army. According to the ruling, Ali ordered soldiers under his command to commit detention, torture and extrajudicial killings. A judge ordered him to be extradited to Somalia.
The Center for Justice and Accountability, a US-based law firm representing one of Ali’s alleged victims, Farhan Warfaa, described Ali as one of the “most ruthless” members of the Barre Somali dictatorship. “One of the best commanders.” As a teenager, Warfaa was abducted by soldiers under Ali’s command, held captive for several months, repeatedly beaten, and finally shot and left for dead.
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Soldiers patrol outside the Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia, August 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsame)
Warfa ultimately survived, and in 2019 a federal civil court in Alexandria, Virginia, found Ali responsible for the torture.
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Ali lived as a permanent resident in Springfield, Virginia, until he was arrested by Homeland Security Investigations in November 2022.
“The United States is not a safe haven for those who commit human rights abuses. We will continue our efforts to pursue justice for the victims of these crimes,” said Russell Hott, acting executive associate director in Washington, D.C. he said. Coercion and removal operations.
“Justice was delayed in this case, but we ultimately prevailed,” Hotto said.
Peter Pinedo is a political writer for Fox News Digital.
