Fahd Jassem al-Freij ( ar, فهد جاسم الفريج)
(born 17 January 1950) is the former
Minister of Defense
A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...
of
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
, took office on 18 July 2012 and left office on 1 January 2018.
Early life and education
Freij was born in
Rahjan
Rahjan ( ar, الرهجان) is a Syrian village located in Al-Saan Subdistrict in Salamiyah District, Hama Governorate, Hama. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics (Syria), Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Rahjan had a populatio ...
in a
Sunni
Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...
Arab tribe on 17 January 1950. He joined the
Syrian Arab Army
The Syrian Army, officially the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) ( ar, الْجَيْشُ الْعَرَبيُّ السُّورِيُّ, al-Jayš al-ʿArabī as-Sūrī), is the army, land force branch of the Syrian Armed Forces. It is the dominant military ...
in 1968, and graduated as an armoured corps lieutenant from the
Homs Military Academy
Homs Military Academy is a military educational and training institution located in Homs, Syria.
Homs Military Academy was founded in 1933 by France during the Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon.
During the period of French administration the Ac ...
in 1971.
Freij attended different courses and a higher military education:
* Bachelor in Military Sciences, Armoured Officer,
Homs Military Academy
Homs Military Academy is a military educational and training institution located in Homs, Syria.
Homs Military Academy was founded in 1933 by France during the Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon.
During the period of French administration the Ac ...
, in 1971,
* Staff Course,
* Airborne paratroops course,
* General Command and Staff Course,
* Higher Staff Course (War Course).
Career
On 8 August 2011, Freij was appointed
Chief of Staff
The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...
of the Syrian Arab Army during the
Syrian civil war. In December 2011, defected Syrian Army officers reported that prior to his appointment of Chief of Staff, al-Freij commanded the Syrian Army Special Forces in the regions of
Daraa
Daraa ( ar, دَرْعَا, Darʿā, Levantine Arabic: , also Darʿā, Dara’a, Deraa, Dera'a, Dera, Derʿā and Edrei; means "''fortress''", compare Dura-Europos) is a city in southwestern Syria, located about north of the border with Jordan ...
,
Idlib
ar, إدلبي, Idlibi
, coordinates =
, elevation_m = 500
, area_code = 23
, geocode = C3871
, blank_name = Climate
, blank_info ...
and
Hama
, timezone = EET
, utc_offset = +2
, timezone_DST = EEST
, utc_offset_DST = +3
, postal_code_type =
, postal_code =
, ar ...
during the Syrian uprising.
However, on 18 July 2012, after Defense Minister
Dawoud Rajiha
Dawoud Abdallah Rajiha ( ar, داود راجحة; 1947 – 18 July 2012), forename sometimes transliterated Dawood or Daoud, surname sometimes transliterated Rajha, was the Syrian minister of defense from 2011 to July 2012 when he was assas ...
was assassinated in the
2012 Damascus bombing, Freij was appointed by Bashar al-Assad to succeed Rajiha.
He was also named as Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Army and the Armed Forces.
On 1 January 2018, Lieutenant General
Ali Abdullah Ayyoub
General Ali Abdullah Ayyoub ( ar, علي عبد الله أيوب, ʿAlī ʿAbd Allāh Ayyūb) (born 28 April 1952 in Latakia) is the current Deputy Prime Minister of Syria, senior Syrian Arab Army officer and former Ministry of Defense (Syria), ...
was the successor of al-Freij as Minister of Defense.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Freij, Fahd Jassem
1950 births
Living people
Syrian Sunni Muslims
Syrian ministers of defense
Chiefs of Staff of the Syrian Army
People of the Syrian civil war
Members of the Regional Command of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region
People from Hama Governorate