Hassan Aweys

Hassan Dahir Aweis حسن طاهر أويس
Born	1945 (age 71–72) Dhusa Mareb, Somalia
Nationality	Somali
Occupation	former colonel
Title	former hizbul islam leader

Hassan Dahir Aweys (Somali: Xasan Daahir Aweys, Arabic: حسن طاهر أويس‎‎) (born 1945)) is a Somali political figure who was added to the U.S. government's list of terrorists in 2001. Aweys was the head of the 90-member shura council of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) of Somalia and was viewed as one of the more radical leaders of the Union, which promoted shari'a and directed the militias that took control of the Somali capital of Mogadishu in June 2006. An eight-member executive committee was headed by the more moderate Sharif Ahmed,. The BBC stated "It is still not clear which man is more powerful. ". Aweys resigned from the ICU on 28 December 2006, at the end of ICU rule in Mogadishu.

He hails from the Habargidir/Ayr subclan within the Hawiye clan.

During the regime of Siad Barre, Aweys was a colonel in the Somali National Army (SNA) during the 1977 Ogaden War against Ethiopia during which he was decorated for bravery.

He is a member of the reer ciyoow,reer faqay which falls under the Ayr (clan), which is part of the Habar Gidir group, which is a Hawiye sub-clan.

Dahir Aweys was part of AIAI leadership which took over large parts of Somalia immediately following the collapse of the Somali Central Government. From 1991 to 1998, AIAI's Gedo Region branch led by former Somali High Court Judge Mohamed Haji Yusuf maintained formidable forces. Gedo district seats of Lugh, Balad Hawo and Burdubo were all run by IAIA forces. Lugh was entirely governed by AIAI. At the time, there were other regional military authority Somali National Front (SNF) running parts of Gedo. Dahir Aweys settled in Lower Shabelle when some disputes came of light in Lugh's Al-Itahad leadership.

...
Wikipedia