Yusuf Ahmed Hagar, was governor

Governor

A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...

 of the Hiran region of Somalia

Somalia

Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...

. He supports the Somali Transitional Federal Government

Transitional Federal Government

The Transitional Federal Government is the current internationally recognized government of the Republic of Somalia. It was established as one of the Transitional Federal Institutions of government as defined in the Transitional Federal Charter adopted in November 2004 by the Transitional...

 (TFG), and was militarily supported by Ethiopia

Ethiopia

Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...

 in the War in Somalia (2006–2009).

Flees Beledweyne

On August 13, 2006, after resisting for a few days, regional governor Yusuf Ahmed Hagar (also known as Yusuf Mohamud Hagar and "Daba-Ged"), was deposed by the Islamic Courts Union and fled to Ethiopia to regroup his forces.

Advances with Ethiopians

On December 18, Ethiopian troops were reported occupying Ballanballe in Galgadud province. On the same day another group of Ethiopian troops departed Hiran province, central Somali, accompanied by militias loyal to former defeated warlords Mohammed Dhere and Dabageed.

Battle of Beledweyne

Dabageed was returned to power after the success of the Ethiopian-backed invasion of Hiran province, culminating in the Battle of Beledweyne

Battle of Beledweyne

Battle of Beledweyne may refer to:*Battle of Beledweyne *Battle of Beledweyne *Battle of Beledweyne...

, fought on December 24–25, 2006.

After the battle, Yusuf Daba-Ged said, "We have taken control of Baladweyne and our forces are chasing the terrorists. We have killed more than 60 Islamists, wounded others and captured some as prisoners of war." Following their defeat in Baladweyne, leaders of the Islamic courts called on the Ethiopian troops to withdraw.

Daba-Ged proclaimed the town of Bedelweyn was liberated and it was again legal to chew khat

Khat

Khat, qat, gat or Waquish Spoken from true Yemeni, is a flowering plant native to tropical East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula....

. A truck filled with khat arriving the next day, on December 26, was met with a burst of cheers.

Reprisals in Hiran

In an effort to head off additional bloodshed, Yusuf Ahmed Hagar "Dabageed," returning governor of Hiran, called for an end of three days of reprisals conducted by men loyal to him and the TFG. He urged an end to the hunting for former members of the Islamist militias offered assurances that those who were now mingled with the rest of the population would not be hurt or killed.

Replaced by President Yusuf

On January 1, 2007, Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed

Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed

Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed is a veteran Somali politician. He is one of the founders of the Somali Salvation Democratic Front, as well as the Puntland State of Somalia, where he served as the autonomous region's first President...

 declared a new administrator for Hiiran region, replacing Dabageed. Hussein Mohamud Moalim was named as new administrator, and Saleyman Ahmed Hilawle was nominated as assistant administrator.