# Hassan Dahir Aweys

> Hassan Dahir Aweys (born 1935): army officer, then leader in al-Itihaad, the Islamic Courts, the ARS and Hizbul Islam, his years in al-Shabaab, and his 2013 custody.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/people/hassan-dahir-aweys/
Last checked: 2026-11-12
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## Who is he?

Hassan Dahir Aweys took part in almost every major Islamist movement in Somalia from 1991 to 2013. This page records his public role from the sources, without taking sides.

## Army officer

Wikipedia records that he was born in 1935 in Dhusamareb, [Galgaduud](/en/regions/galgaduud/). He graduated from the [General Daud](/en/people/daud-abdulle-hirsi/) military academy in 1972, became a colonel in the national army and was decorated for bravery in the 1977–78 [Ogaden war](/en/history/ogaden-war-1977/) ([Wikipedia, Hassan Dahir Aweys](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hassan_Dahir_Aweys)).

## Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya, 1991–1997

He joined [al-Itihaad al-Islamiya](/en/institutions/al-itihaad-al-islamiya/) in 1991 and became its vice-chairman and military commander. On 7 November 2001 the US named him under its anti-terrorism financing order; he has denied links to al-Qaeda ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hassan_Dahir_Aweys)).

## The Islamic Courts, 2006

He helped set up sharia courts in Mogadishu, and on 24 June 2006 became chairman of the 90-member shura of the [Islamic Courts Union](/en/history/islamic-courts-union-2006/). He left Mogadishu on 27 December 2006, the day before Ethiopian forces entered ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hassan_Dahir_Aweys), citing Voice of America). Stanford's Mapping Militants project records that he opposed the tactics of the courts' militia commander [Aden Hashi Ayro](/en/people/aden-hashi-ayro/) ([Mapping Militant Organizations, al-Shabaab](https://mappingmilitants.org/profiles/al-shabaab)).

## The ARS and Hizbul Islam, 2007–2010

From 2007 he led the Asmara-based wing of the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia. In early 2009 this wing joined three other groups to form [Hizbul Islam](/en/institutions/hizbul-islam/), which rejected the new government of [Sharif Sheikh Ahmed](/en/people/sharif-sheikh-ahmed/). He became its chairman on 26 May 2009 ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hassan_Dahir_Aweys); [Wikipedia, Hizbul Islam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hizbul_Islam)).

## In al-Shabaab, 2010–2013

Hizbul Islam merged into [al-Shabaab](/en/history/al-shabaab/) on 20 December 2010. Mapping Militants describes him as having been called the movement's spiritual leader. He opposed al-Shabaab's formal link with al-Qaeda at the 2012 Baidabo conference and backed [Mukhtar Robow](/en/people/mukhtar-robow/) against [Ahmed Abdi Godane](/en/people/ahmed-abdi-godane/) ([Mapping Militants](https://mappingmilitants.org/profiles/al-shabaab); [Wikipedia, Al-Shabaab](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Shabaab_(militant_group))).

## Custody, 2013

In June 2013 he left al-Shabaab territory and was taken into custody by government forces. *The Economist* reported concern that his arrest after promised talks could deepen divisions ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hassan_Dahir_Aweys), citing Reuters, 26 June 2013, and *The Economist*, 6 July 2013). Mapping Militants records that he was arrested in 2013 and placed under house arrest in 2014 ([Mapping Militants](https://mappingmilitants.org/profiles/al-shabaab)).

## Sources differ

- **When he joined al-Itihaad.** 1991 (Wikipedia's text) or 1989 (its summary box).
- **His views.** Some sources describe him as a nationalist Islamist; the US treated him as a supporter of terrorism.

## Read the primary sources yourself

- Mapping Militant Organizations, Stanford University, "Al Shabaab": [profile](https://mappingmilitants.org/profiles/al-shabaab).
- International Crisis Group, *Somalia's Islamists* (2005): [PDF](https://www.crisisgroup.org/sites/default/files/somalia-s-islamists.pdf).

---
I want to help with this: email hello@calankii.com. Fix this page: email hello@calankii.com with the page link and your source.