Fahd Jassem al-Freij

Fahd Jassem al-Freij
Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Army and the Armed Forces
Incumbent
Assumed office 18 July 2012
President	Bashar Al-Assad
Preceded by	Dawoud Rajiha
Deputy Prime Minister of Syria
Incumbent
Assumed office 23 June 2012
Prime Minister	Riyad Farid Hijab Wael Nader al-Halqi Imad Khamis
Preceded by	Abdullah al-Dardari
Minister of Defense
Incumbent
Assumed office 18 July 2012
Prime Minister	Riyad Farid Hijab Wael Nader al-Halqi Imad Khamis
Preceded by	Dawoud Rajiha
Chief of the General Staff of the Army and the Armed Forces
In office 8 August 2011 – 18 July 2012
President	Bashar al-Assad
Defense Minister	Dawoud Rajiha
Preceded by	Dawoud Rajiha
Succeeded by	Ali Abdullah Ayyoub
Personal details
Born	(1950-01-01) 1 January 1950 Hama, Syria
Political party	Syrian Regional Branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party
Military service
Allegiance	Syria
Service/branch	Syrian Arab Army
Years of service	1971-Present
Rank	Colonel General
Unit	Armoured Corps
Commands	Special Forces Operations Staff

Fahd Jassem al-Freij (Arabic: فهد جاسم الفريج‎‎)^[1] (born 17 January 1950) is the Minister of Defense of Syria, taking office on 18 July 2012.

Early life and education

Freij was born in Hama in a Sunni Arab tribe on 17 January 1950. He joined the Syrian Arab Army in 1968, and graduated as an armoured corps lieutenant from the Homs Military Academy in 1971.

Freij attended different courses and a higher military education:

• Bachelor in Military Sciences, Armoured Officer, Homs Military Academy, 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 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, Idlib and Hama during the Syrian uprising.

However, on 18 July 2012, after Defense Minister Dawoud Rajiha was assassinated in the 2012 Damascus bombing, Freij was appointed by Bashar al-Assad to succeed Rajiha.^[1] He was also named as Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Army and the Armed Forces.^[2]

Accusations of crimes against humanity

A report released by Amnesty International on February 7, 2017, alleges that Freij is complicit in the killings of up to 13,000 individuals tried and convicted in secret military courts. Specifically, the report alleges that Freij's signature--or, alternatively, that of the Syrian Chief of the General Staff--was one of two needed for a death warrant issued by the secret courts to be implemented, and also that he witnessed the executions of those condemned by the military courts on several occasions.

References

Syrian Ministers of Defense
al-Ulshi al-Azmeh al-Atrash al-Kayyali Atfeh Mardam Bey Atfeh al-Hawrani al-Atassi Selu al-Azm al-Dawalibi Barmada Raslan al-Azm Raslan al-Sufi al-Hariri Umran al-Assad Tlass Turkmani Mahmud Rajiha al-Freij

Chiefs of General Staff of the Army and the Armed Forces of Syria
Abdullah Atfeh Husni al-Za'im Sami al-Hinnawi Anwar Bannud Fawzi Selu Shawkat Shuqayr Tawfiq Nizam al-Din Afif al-Bizri Jamal al-Faisal Abd al-Karim Zahr al-Din Ziad al-Hariri Salah Jadid Ahmad Suwaydani Mustafa Tlass Yusuf Shakkur Hikmat al-Shihabi Ali Aslan Hasan Turkmani Ali Habib Mahmud Dawoud Rajiha Fahd Jassem al-Freij Ali Abdullah Ayyoub

Syrian Civil War
Part of the Arab Spring
Background Timeline Background 1963 coup d'état 1966 coup d'état 1970 "Corrective Revolution" 1979–82 Islamic uprising 1999 Latakia protests 2000–01 Damascus Spring 2004 Qamishli riots Syrian occupation of Lebanon 2005 Damascus Declaration Human rights in Syria 2011 (Jan–Apr • May–Aug • Sep–Dec) Death of Hamza Ali Al-Khateeb Siege of Daraa Siege of Baniyas Talkalakh siege Siege of Rastan and Talbiseh Jisr ash-Shugur operation Siege of Hama Siege of Homs Jabal al-Zawiya operation Siege of Latakia Deir ez-Zor Clashes Rif Dimashq clashes Battle of Zabadani Battle of Douma Daraa Governorate clashes First Battle of Rastan Shayrat and Tiyas airbase ambush Idlib Governorate clashes Jabal al-Zawiya massacres 2012 (Jan–Apr • May–Aug • Sep–Dec) al-Midan bombing Second Battle of Rastan First Idlib operation First Battle of Idlib First Battle of al-Qusayr Second Idlib operation Battle of Taftanaz Third Battle of Rastan Houla massacre Battle of al-Haffah Al-Qubeir massacre Battle of Tremseh Battle of Damascus Damascus bombing Battle of Aleppo Battle of Anadan Siege of Base 46 Al-Hasakah Governorate campaign (2012–13) First Rif Dimashq offensive Darayya massacre Battle of Khirbet al-Joz Battle of Maarrat al-Nu'man First Siege of Wadi Deif Battle of Harem Second Rif Dimashq offensive Battle of Darayya Aqrab massacre First Hama offensive Halfaya massacre Battle of Darayya Quneitra Governorate clashes Talbiseh bakery massacre 2013 (Jan–Apr • May–Dec) Battle of Safira Battle of Shadadeh Damascus offensive Raqqa campaign (2012–13) (Battle of Raqqa (2013)) Daraa offensive Third Rif Dimashq offensive Battle of Jdaidet al-Fadl Ghouta chemical attack Al-Qusayr offensive Second Battle of al-Qusayr Bayda and Baniyas massacres Second Hama offensive Hatla massacre Khan al-Assal chemical attack Khan al-Assal massacre Adra massacre Battle of Ras al-Ayn Battle of Tell Abyad Fourth Rif Dimashq offensive Aleppo offensive 2014 (Jan–Jul • Aug–Dec) First Inter-Rebel Conflict Battle of Markada First Deir ez-Zor Offensive Battle of Mork 2nd Daraa Offensive Maan massacre Al-Otaiba ambush 4th Idlib Offensive Battle of Hosn 2nd Latakia Offensive Battle of Al-Malihah Kafr Zita chemical attack Second Siege of Wadi Deif 2nd Qalamoun Offensive Battle of Arsal First Battle of the Shaer gas field Eastern Syria Offensive Battle for Tabqa Air base Northern Aleppo offensive (February–July 2014) 3rd Hama Offensive Quneitra Offensive 6th Rif Dimashq offensive Siege of Kobanî 3rd Daraa offensive 2nd Al-Safira offensive Idlib Raid Second Inter-Rebel Conflict Second Battle of the Shaer gas field Battle of Al-Shaykh Maskin 2nd Deir ez-Zor offensive 2015 (Jan–Jul • Aug–Dec) An-26 crash 4th Daraa Offensive Southern Syria Offensive Eastern al-Hasakah offensive 1st Battle of Sarrin 2nd Battle of Sarrin Battle of Bosra 5th Idlib Offensive Second Battle of Idlib Battle of Nasib Border Crossing 2nd Battle of Yarmouk Camp Western al-Hasakah offensive Palmyra offensive (May 2015) 2015 Qamishli bombings Tell Abyad offensive Kobanî massacre Quneitra offensive Palmyra offensive (July–August 2015) 7th Rif Dimashq offensive Northwestern Syria offensive 2015 Aleppo offensive 2015 Al-Hawl offensive Homs offensive (November–December 2015) East Aleppo offensive (2015–16) Latakia offensive (2015–2016) Tishrin Dam offensive 2015 Russian Sukhoi Su-24 shootdown 2016 (Jan–Apr • May–Aug • Sep–Dec) Second Battle of Al-Shaykh Maskin 3rd Deir ez-Zor offensive Sayyidah Zaynab bombings Northern Aleppo offensive (February 2016) Ithriyah-Raqqa offensive (February–March 2016) Al-Shaddadi offensive (2016) February Homs bombings February Sayyidah Zaynab bombings 2016 Khanasir offensive Battle of Tel Abyad Battle of Qamishli (April 2016) Northern Aleppo offensive (March–June 2016) Palmyra offensive (March 2016) East Ghouta inter-rebel conflict (April–May 2016) 8th Rif Dimashq offensive Northern Raqqa offensive (May 2016) May 2016 Jableh and Tartous bombings Ithriyah-Raqqa offensive (June 2016) 9th Rif Dimashq offensive Manbij offensive Tokhar 2016 Southern Aleppo campaign Battle of al-Rai (August 2016) 2016 Aleppo summer campaign Western al-Bab offensive (September 2016) 5 September 2016 Syria bombings September 2016 Deir ez-Zor air raid September 2016 Urum al-Kubra Aid Convoy attack September Aleppo offensive 2016 Dabiq offensive Western al-Bab offensive (October–November 2016) Aleppo offensive (September–October 2016) Khan al-Shih offensive (October–November 2016) Raqqa campaign (2016–present) Battle of Raqqa (2017) Battle of al-Bab Aleppo offensive (November–December 2016) Palmyra offensive (December 2016) 2017 (Jan–Apr • May–present) Wadi Barada offensive (2016–17) January 2017 Azaz bombing Syrian Desert campaign (December 2016–April 2017) Idlib Governorate clashes (2017) Deir ez-Zor offensive (January–February 2017) Daraa offensive (February–June 2017) ISIL Daraa offensive (February 2017) Qaboun offensive (2017) Palmyra offensive (2017) East Aleppo offensive (January–April 2017) March 2017 Damascus bombings 2017 al-Jinah airstrike 2017 Hama offensive Battle of Tabqa (2017) Khan Shaykhun chemical attack 2017 Shayrat missile strike 2017 Aleppo suicide car bombing April 2017 Turkish airstrikes in Syria and Iraq East Ghouta inter-rebel conflict (April–May 2017) Syrian Desert campaign (May 2017–present) Maskanah Plains offensive East Hama offensive 9th Daraa Southern Raqqa offensive (June 2017) 2017 Jobar offensive Quneitra offensive (June 2017) Idlib Governorate clashes (July 2017) Central Syria campaign (July 2017–present) 3nd Qalamoun Spillover Spillover into Lebanon Lebanese–Syrian border clashes Battle of Sidon Iranian Embassy Bombing Northern Lebanon Clashes 3nd Qalamoun Syrian-Turkish border clashes December 2011 Syrian–Turkish border clash Turkish aircraft shootdown October 2012 Syrian-Turkish border clashes Reyhanlı bombings January 2014 Turkish airstrike in Syria Israeli–Syrian ceasefire line incidents March 2017 incident Jordanian-Syrian border clashes April 2014 Jordanian–Syrian border airstrike Spillover into Iraq Akashat ambush Operation al-Shabah April 2014 Iraqi–Syrian border airstrike Assassination of Andrei Karlov Turkish military intervention in Syria 2017 Russian Air Force Al-Bab incident 2017 Deir ez-Zor missile strike
Involved parties Syria Ba'ath Government Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region Syrian Social Nationalist Party Arab Socialist Movement Syrian Communist Party Military & Militias Syrian Armed Forces Syrian Resistance PFLP-GC Jerusalem Brigade Palestine Liberation Army Smaller groups Support for the government Hezbollah involvement Iranian involvement Liwa Fatemiyoun Russia's involvement medical facility targeting military intervention Russia–Syria–Iran–Iraq coalition Popular Mobilization Forces (Iraq) Syrian opposition, Al-Qaeda affiliates and allies NCSR Government National Coalition Local Co-ordination Committees Syrian National Council Supreme Council of the Syrian Revolution National Coordination Committee for Democratic Change Syrian Revolution General Commission Syrian Support Group Adopt a Revolution Syrian Patriotic Group Opposition militias Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army Hawar Kilis Operations Room Ahrar al-Sham Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement Abu Amara Battalions Covert Special Tasks Force Jaysh al-Izza Elite Army 2nd Army Jaysh al-Nasr Martyrs of Islam Brigade National Liberation Movement Central Division 1st Coastal Division Free Idlib Army 23rd Division Jaysh al-Islam al-Rahman Legion 1st Brigade of Damascus Southern Front Army of Free Tribes Criterion Brigades National Front for the Liberation of Syria Jabhat Ansar al-Islam Saraya Ahl al-Sham Authenticity and Development Front Al-Qaratayn Martyrs Brigade[1] Badia Forces[2][3] Revolutionary Commando Army[4] Elite Division Smaller groups al-Qaeda affiliates and allies Tahrir al-Sham Turkistan Islamic Party in Syria Caucasus Emirate Ajnad al-Kavkaz Junud al Makhdi Malhama Tactical Ansar al-Islam splinter faction Smaller groups Allied groups (to the Opposition militias) Muslim Brotherhood of Syria Grey Wolves Smaller groups Support for the Opposition American-led intervention American rescue mission Jordanian intervention Qatari support Saudi Arabia Turkey Rojava (SDF) Rojava government Democratic Union Party Kurdish National Council Smaller political parties SDF groups People's Protection Units Women's Protection Units Anti-Terror Units Al-Sanadid Forces Army of Revolutionaries Elite Forces SDF Military Councils Syriac Military Council (Bethnahrain Women's Protection Forces Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa Raqqa Hawks Brigade Northern Democratic Brigade Free Officers Union Liberation Brigade faction Shahba Forces Liwa Owais al-Qorani remnants Martyr Amara Arab Women's Battalion Battalion of Karachok Martyrs Revolutionary Forces Khabour Guards Nattoreh Smaller groups Allied groups Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Kurdistan Workers' Party International Freedom Battalion International Anti-Fascist Battalion Sinjar Resistance Units Êzîdxan Women's Units Smaller groups ISIL Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Military of ISIL Dokumacılar Khalid ibn al-Walid Army Liwa al-Aqsa Group of the One and Only Liwa Dawud
People Ammar Abdulhamid Ali al-Abdallah Adnan al-Aroor al-Assad family Bashar Maher Rifaat Rami Makhlouf Hafez Makhlouf Riad al-Asaad Anwar al-Bunni Fahd Jassem al-Freij Haitham al-Maleh Moaz al-Khatib Kamal al-Labwani Hamza al-Khateeb Tal al-Mallohi Fida al-Sayed Riad al-Turk Khaled Khoja Ammar al-Qurabi Suheir Atassi Ali Sadreddine Al-Bayanouni Aref Dalila Farid Ghadry Burhan Ghalioun Razan Ghazzawi Ghassan Hitto Salim Idris Randa Kassis Abdul Halim Khaddam Michel Kilo Bassma Kodmani Ali Habib Mahmud Ali Mahmoud Othman Ibrahim Qashoush Dawoud Rajiha Yassin al-Haj Saleh Bouthaina Shaaban Adib Shishakly Abdulbaset Sieda Riad Seif Fadwa Soliman Mohamad Anas Haitham Soueid Yaser Tabbara Razan Zaitouneh Rami Jarrah Abdurrahman Mustafa
Issues Peace process Related topics Elections Issues Casualties Chemical weapons Cities and towns Damaged heritage sites Foreign involvement Human rights violations Humanitarian aid International reactions International demonstrations and protests Massacres Refugees (European migrant crisis) Sectarianism and minorities Spillover into Lebanon Syrian reactions Peace process Arab League monitors Friends of Syria Group Kofi Annan peace plan UN Supervision Mission Lakhdar Brahimi peace plan U.S.–Russia peace proposals on Syria 39th G8 summit UN Security Council Resolution 2118 Geneva II Conference 2015 Zabadani cease-fire agreement 2015 Vienna talks 2016 Geneva talks Related topics 2014 Syrian detainee report Exclusive mandate Fourth Extraordinary Session of the Islamic Summit Conference International recognition of the Syrian National Council Syria Files Syrian media coverage The Return to Homs Silvered Water, Syria Self-Portrait Sunnistan Syrian presidential election, 2014 Elections and referendums held during the civil war Syrian local elections, 2011 Syrian constitutional referendum, 2012 Syrian presidential election, 2014 Rojava local elections, 2015 Syrian parliamentary election, 2016
References ↑ "FSA Launches a New Battle against IS Group in the Desert of #Syrian". en.eldorar.com.  ↑ "Syrian Rebellion Obs on Twitter".  ↑ "Syrian Rebellion Obs on Twitter".  ↑ Shaam.org. ""جيش سوريا الجديد " بحلة جديدة .. “مغاوير الثورة” تشكيل بدعم أمريكي لمحاربة تنظيم الدولة في حمص".
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