ICE Deports Former Somali Military Officer Accused Of Human Rights Abuses, Torture

Yusuf Abdi Ali, a 71-year-old former Somali military officer, has been deported from the U.S. by ICE officials in Washington, D.C. Known as "Tukeh," Ali is accused of committing torture, terror, and various human rights abuses against civilians.

He served as a lieutenant colonel in the Somali National Army and led the Fifth Brigade in northwest Somalia during Siad Barre's dictatorship from 1987 to 1989. Somalia, located in the Horn of Africa, is home to one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa.

Ali is accused of overseeing terror activities against the Isaaq clan in northwestern Somalia. Reports indicate that he committed numerous human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, torture, and arbitrary detention, according to FOX News.

During Ali's leadership, the Somali National Army was responsible for numerous human rights violations, including the execution of suspected political opponents, the burning of entire towns, unlawful use of landmines, and the destruction of water reservoirs to inflict harm on civilian populations, as stated by ICE.

Earlier this year, a Department of Justice immigration judge issued a 65-page ruling, concluding that Ali had personally done acts of torture while leading the Somali National Army. The ruling mentioned that Ali ordered soldiers under his command to detain, torture, and carry out extrajudicial killings, leading to the judge's decision to deport him to Somalia.

The Center for Justice & Accountability, a U.S.-based law firm, represented Farhan Warfaa, one of Yusuf Abdi Ali's alleged victims. The firm described Ali as one of the most ruthless commanders under Somalia's Barre dictatorship.

Warfaa was abducted as a teenager by soldiers under Ali's command, detained for months, repeatedly beaten, and eventually shot and left for dead. He survived the ordeal. In 2019, a federal civil court in Alexandria, Virginia, held Ali responsible for torturing Warfaa.

At the time of his arrest by Homeland Security Investigations in November 2022, Ali was a permanent resident in Springfield, Virginia.

Russell Hott, acting executive associate director for Washington, D.C., ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, acknowledged that justice in Yusuf Abdi Ali's case took time but was eventually achieved.

He emphasized the importance of holding individuals accountable for human rights abuses, regardless of how long it takes.