Abdul Sharif was a Qumari diplomat and aristocrat, proven to the satisfaction of President Jed Bartlet and Leo McGarry, as well as their military advisors, to be the leader of a terrorist unit operating against and in the U.S.. The episode "Posse Comitatus" hinges on the legal maneuvering necessary to approve Sharif's assassination, and the fallout from the killing has repercussion throughout the fourth season and beyond.