Profiles: Syria’s Top Officials Martyred in Damascus Blast
Local Editor
Wednesday 18th of July: a date to be engraved in the Syrian history. It was morning when a deadly attack delivered a message of bloodshed into the Syrian regime inner circle.
The Syrian National Security Building at Rawda Square, Damascus was attacked. Syrian military and security generals were martyred and injured.
But who are the four martyred top generals?
Defense Minister Dawoud Abdallah Rajiha:
Rajiha is an Arab Orthodox Syrian Christian. He was born in Damascus in 1947. A specialist in artillery, he graduated from Syria's military academy in 1967.
Rajiha attained the rank of lieutenant general in 1998 and was appointed as the Syrian Army's deputy chief of staff six years later, in 2004. In 2005, he received a promotion to the rank of general.
When Ali Habib Mahmud was named to head the Ministry of Defense in 2009, Rajiha was given the position of chief of staff. He held this position in 2011, when the Syrian crisis began. On 8 August 2011, he was chosen by President Bashar al-Assad to replace Mahmud as Minister of Defense.
Almost two months after the date of his alleged death, Rajiha was killed in 18 July 2012 Damascus bombing.
Deputy Defense Minister Assef Shawkat:
Gen Shawkat was considered one of the president's top security chiefs.
Assef Shawkat was born to an Alawite family in the village of al-Madehleh in the Tartus region of Syria on 15 January 1950. He grew up in modest comfort and studied law at Damascus University before joining the Syrian army in the late 1970s.
After joining the army, Shawkat began working his way up through the army ranks.
Later, he married Hafez al-Assad's only daughter, Bushra.
Gen Shawkat later became the de facto chief of military intelligence, a title he officially acquired in 2005. In July 2009, Shawkat was appointed deputy chief of staff of the armed forces. He held this post until September 2011, when he was appointed deputy Defense Minister, ostensibly under General Dawoud Rajiha.
In mid-May 2012, rebels claimed that Gen Shawkat had died and been buried in his hometown of Madhala after being poisoned by rebels. However, the rebels alleged claims turned to be lies.
On 18 July, state media reported that Gen Shawkat had been killed in a suicide bomb attack at the headquarters of the National Security Bureau.
Assistant Vice President Hassan Ali Turkmani:
Turkmani was born in Aleppo in 1935 to an ethnic Turkish Sunni Muslim family. He graduated as a field artillery lieutenant and joined the Syrian Arab Army in 1954.
Turkmani commanded a mechanized division during the 1973 "Israeli" aggression against Syria. He was promoted to the rank of major general in 1978.He was appointed Syrian Army chief of staff in January 2002, replacing Ali Aslan.
In 2004, he became Defense Minister, replacing Mustafa Tlass. He was replaced in June 2009 by the former army chief Ali Habib Mahmud. On 3 June 2009, President Bashar al-Assad appointed Hassan Turkmani as Assistant Vice President with the rank of minister. He was also appointed Chief of Crisis Operation. Turkmani was also a military advisor to Vice President Farouk Sharaa.
Turkmani was assassinated on 18 July 2012 during a bombing against the National Security Building in Rawda Square, north-west Damascus, where the Minister of Defense Dawoud Rajiha and his deputy Assef Shawkat were also killed. Turkmani died of his wounds after the attack.
Major-General Hisham Ikhtiyar: The man was a Syrian military official, and a national security adviser to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.
He was director of the Syrian GID intelligence agency from 2001 to 2005, and had been the director of the Ba'ath Party Regional Command National Security Bureau (NSB). He was regarded as a part of al-Assad's inner circle.
In 2006, the United States Treasury Department announced that American citizens and organizations were forbidden from engaging in any transactions with Ikhtiyar, for "significantly contributing to the Syrian Government's support for designated terrorist organizations.
On 19 May 2012, the rebels claimed that they killed Ikhtiyar.
On 18 July 2012, he has been wounded in Damascus. Two days later on 20 July 2012, Syrian state television announced that Ikhtiyar had died from his injuries.
Source: News Agencies, edited by moqawama.org
Wednesday 18th of July: a date to be engraved in the Syrian history. It was morning when a deadly attack delivered a message of bloodshed into the Syrian regime inner circle.
The Syrian National Security Building at Rawda Square, Damascus was attacked. Syrian military and security generals were martyred and injured.
But who are the four martyred top generals?
Defense Minister Dawoud Abdallah Rajiha:
Rajiha is an Arab Orthodox Syrian Christian. He was born in Damascus in 1947. A specialist in artillery, he graduated from Syria's military academy in 1967.
Rajiha attained the rank of lieutenant general in 1998 and was appointed as the Syrian Army's deputy chief of staff six years later, in 2004. In 2005, he received a promotion to the rank of general.
When Ali Habib Mahmud was named to head the Ministry of Defense in 2009, Rajiha was given the position of chief of staff. He held this position in 2011, when the Syrian crisis began. On 8 August 2011, he was chosen by President Bashar al-Assad to replace Mahmud as Minister of Defense.
Almost two months after the date of his alleged death, Rajiha was killed in 18 July 2012 Damascus bombing.
Deputy Defense Minister Assef Shawkat:
Gen Shawkat was considered one of the president's top security chiefs.
Assef Shawkat was born to an Alawite family in the village of al-Madehleh in the Tartus region of Syria on 15 January 1950. He grew up in modest comfort and studied law at Damascus University before joining the Syrian army in the late 1970s.
After joining the army, Shawkat began working his way up through the army ranks.
Later, he married Hafez al-Assad's only daughter, Bushra.
Gen Shawkat later became the de facto chief of military intelligence, a title he officially acquired in 2005. In July 2009, Shawkat was appointed deputy chief of staff of the armed forces. He held this post until September 2011, when he was appointed deputy Defense Minister, ostensibly under General Dawoud Rajiha.
In mid-May 2012, rebels claimed that Gen Shawkat had died and been buried in his hometown of Madhala after being poisoned by rebels. However, the rebels alleged claims turned to be lies.
On 18 July, state media reported that Gen Shawkat had been killed in a suicide bomb attack at the headquarters of the National Security Bureau.
Assistant Vice President Hassan Ali Turkmani:
Turkmani was born in Aleppo in 1935 to an ethnic Turkish Sunni Muslim family. He graduated as a field artillery lieutenant and joined the Syrian Arab Army in 1954.
Turkmani commanded a mechanized division during the 1973 "Israeli" aggression against Syria. He was promoted to the rank of major general in 1978.He was appointed Syrian Army chief of staff in January 2002, replacing Ali Aslan.
In 2004, he became Defense Minister, replacing Mustafa Tlass. He was replaced in June 2009 by the former army chief Ali Habib Mahmud. On 3 June 2009, President Bashar al-Assad appointed Hassan Turkmani as Assistant Vice President with the rank of minister. He was also appointed Chief of Crisis Operation. Turkmani was also a military advisor to Vice President Farouk Sharaa.
Turkmani was assassinated on 18 July 2012 during a bombing against the National Security Building in Rawda Square, north-west Damascus, where the Minister of Defense Dawoud Rajiha and his deputy Assef Shawkat were also killed. Turkmani died of his wounds after the attack.
Major-General Hisham Ikhtiyar: The man was a Syrian military official, and a national security adviser to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.
He was director of the Syrian GID intelligence agency from 2001 to 2005, and had been the director of the Ba'ath Party Regional Command National Security Bureau (NSB). He was regarded as a part of al-Assad's inner circle.
In 2006, the United States Treasury Department announced that American citizens and organizations were forbidden from engaging in any transactions with Ikhtiyar, for "significantly contributing to the Syrian Government's support for designated terrorist organizations.
On 19 May 2012, the rebels claimed that they killed Ikhtiyar.
On 18 July 2012, he has been wounded in Damascus. Two days later on 20 July 2012, Syrian state television announced that Ikhtiyar had died from his injuries.
Source: News Agencies, edited by moqawama.org
