 He lived in the United States and worked as an administrator at the American University in Washington, D.C., before returning to his native Somalia in 1999.There, he served as the Dean of Benadir University in Mogadishu, and represented the ICU in its ongoing discussions in Khartoum and Nairobi with the Somali Transitional Federal Government.On January 8, 2007 as the Battle of Ras Kamboni raged, Prof. Addow, speaking from Yemen, said the Islamic Courts was ready to enter negotiations with the Transitional Federal Government.