Military and armed-group figures
Hassan Dahir Aweys
Hassan Dahir Aweys (born 1935, Dhusamareb) was an army colonel who fought in the 1977–78 Ogaden war and later led Islamist movements: he was a military commander of al-Itihaad al-Islamiya, chairman of the Islamic Courts Union's shura in 2006, head of the Asmara wing of the ARS, chairman of Hizbul Islam (2009–2010) and then part of al-Shabaab until he left in 2012–2013. He was taken into government custody in June 2013. The US designated him in 2001.
Hassan Dahir AweysSheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys · Xasan Daahir Aweys
- Lived
- 1935 to today
- Known as one of
- Military and armed-group figures
- Era
- The Republic, 1960 to 1991; Rebuilding without a state, 1991 to 2012; Who holds power, 2012 to now
- Sources
- 5 sources
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. He graduated from the General Daud military academy in 1972, became a colonel in the national army and was decorated for bravery in the 1977–78 Ogaden war (Wikipedia, Hassan Dahir Aweys).
Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya, 1991–1997
He joined 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).
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. He left Mogadishu on 27 December 2006, the day before Ethiopian forces entered (Wikipedia, citing Voice of America). Stanford's Mapping Militants project records that he opposed the tactics of the courts' militia commander Aden Hashi Ayro (Mapping Militant Organizations, 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, which rejected the new government of Sharif Sheikh Ahmed. He became its chairman on 26 May 2009 (Wikipedia; Wikipedia, Hizbul Islam).
In al-Shabaab, 2010–2013
Hizbul Islam merged into 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 against Ahmed Abdi Godane (Mapping Militants; Wikipedia, Al-Shabaab).
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, 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).
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
Sources
- Wikipedia, Hassan Dahir Aweys · en.wikipedia.org
- Mapping Militant Organizations, al-Shabaab · mappingmilitants.org
- Wikipedia, Hizbul Islam · en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, Al-Shabaab · en.wikipedia.org
- PDF · crisisgroup.org
Hassan Dahir AweysSheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys · Xasan Daahir Aweys
- Lived
- 1935 to today
- Known as one of
- Military and armed-group figures
- Era
- The Republic, 1960 to 1991; Rebuilding without a state, 1991 to 2012; Who holds power, 2012 to now
- Sources
- 5 sources
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