NEFA Foundation: Biography of “Martyred” East African Al-Qaida Operative Saleh Ali Nabhan
By Evan Kohlmann
The NEFA Foundation has obtained and translated a biography, posted on a jihadist website, of a key suspect allegedly behind the 1998 East Africa Embassy bombings, Saleh Ali Nabhan, who was killed in a U.S. helicopter strike south of Mogadishu in September 2009. According to the document, Nabhan traveled to Afghanistan, where he attended the Khalden and Al Farouq training camps. There “he mastered various military skills. He then was chosen to be a trainer, and he survived the American raid on the al-Farouq camp…he was the guard of the camp gate at the time of the raid." Most notably, he purportedly “participated in training the 19 [martyrs] chosen to change the course of history; heroes of Manhattan Battle: Muhammad Atta and his companions. He mastered the art of forgery very well, and he told me that he assisted in forging documents for the 19 brothers." Upon returning to Kenya, “they planned the Paradise Hotel operation.” (NEFA previously published a statement from Shabaab al-Mujahideen celebrating Nabhan’s “martyrdom.”)
An English translation of Nabhan's biography can be accessed via the NEFA Foundation website.
