Dawoud Rajiha Explained

Birth Name:Dawoud Abdallah Rajiha
Office:15th Minister of Defense
President:Bashar al-Assad
Term Start:8 August 2011
Term End:18 July 2012
Primeminister:Adel Safar
Riyad Farid Hijab
Deputy:Assef Shawkat
Predecessor:Ali Habib Mahmud
Successor:Fahd Jassem al-Freij
Office2:20th Chief of Army Staff
Term Start2:3 June 2009
Term End2:8 August 2011
President2:Bashar al-Assad
1Blankname2:Minister
1Namedata2:Ali Habib Mahmud
Predecessor2:Ali Habib Mahmud
Successor2:Fahd Jassem al-Freij
Birth Date:1947
Birth Place:Damascus, Syria
Death Place:Damascus, Syria
Party:Ba'ath Party
Serviceyears:1967–2012
Rank: Colonel General
Unit:3rd Armoured Division, Artillery
Battles:
Native Name Lang:ar

Dawoud Abdallah Rajiha (Arabic: داود راجحة‎; 1947 – 18 July 2012; forename sometimes transliterated Dawood or Daoud, surname sometimes transliterated Rajha) was a Syrian military officer who was the Minister of Defense from 2011 to July 2012 when he was assassinated along with other senior military officers by armed opposition forces during the country's Civil War. From 2009 to 2011, Rajiha served as chief of staff of the Syrian Army.

Early life

Rajiha, a Greek Orthodox Arab Christian, was born in Damascus in 1947.[1] [2] A specialist in artillery, he graduated from Syria's military academy in 1967.[1]

Military education

Dawoud Abdallah Rajiha attended different courses and a higher military education:

Career

Rajiha attained the rank of major general in 1998 and was appointed as the Syrian Army's deputy chief of staff six years later, in 2004.[3] In 2005, he received a promotion to the rank of general called Imad (a rank in the Syrian armed forces between major general and lieutenant general). When Ali Habib Mahmud was named to head the ministry of defense in 2009, Rajiha was given the position of army chief of staff.[4] He held this position in 2011, when the Syrian civil war began. On 8 August 2011, he was chosen by President Bashar al-Assad to replace Mahmud as minister of defense.[1] [2]

Rumored death

On 20 May 2012, the Damascus council of the Free Syrian Army, among the rebel organizations opposed to the Assad government, alleged that it had assassinated Rajiha and the seven other members of the government's Central Crisis Management Cell (CCMC). It was since proven that the allegations were false and were rebels propaganda. Members of the unit, including former minister of defense Hasan Turkmani, were shown on Syrian television to be alive, and the rebels later stated that only Rajiha's deputy, General Assef Shawkat, and a second official who was not named. Shawkat, the brother-in-law of President Assad, was later shown to have survived, as well.[5] [6] [7] In June 2012, the matter of Rajiha's alleged death was permanently resolved when it was confirmed that he remained Assad's defense minister in the newly formed cabinet.[8]

Assassination and funeral

Almost two months after the date of his alleged death, Rajiha was assassinated in a bombing of a meeting of the Central Crisis Management Cell held at the Syrian National Security Building at Rawda Square, Damascus. Among the others killed in the bombing were Hasan Turkmani and Assef Shawkat.[9] [10] [11] Fahd Jassem al-Freij was named by President Assad as Rajiha's successor as minister of defense, while it was announced that Addounia TV would broadcast the minister's funeral. A state funeral was held for him, Hasan Turkmani and Assef Shawkat in Damascus on 20 July 2012. Bashar al-Assad did not participate in the ceremony and was represented by vice president Farouk al-Sharaa.[12] A military ceremony was also held for him and other two senior officials, Hassan Turkmani and Assef Shawkat, in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Mount Qasioun, overlooking Damascus.[12]

Personal life

Rajiha was married and had four children.[3]

Notes and References

  1. News: President al-Assad Issues Decree Naming Gen. Dawood Rajiha Defense Minister . SANA . 8 August 2011 . 8 August 2011 .
  2. News: Syria's Assad replaces defense minister with army chief of staff. Ha'aretz. 8 August 2011. 8 August 2011.
  3. News: Ex-Syrian DefMin Opposition to Hama crackdown led to firing – Sources. https://archive.today/20130703042218/http://www.aawsat.net/2011/08/article55245505. dead. 3 July 2013. 5 April 2013. Asharq Alawsat. 9 August 2011. Damascus, London.
  4. Web site: By All Means Necessary!. Human Rights Watch. 21 July 2012. December 2011.
  5. News: Al Arabiya: Syrian officials acknowledge Assad's brother-in-law was killed four days ago. 21 July 2012. Times of Israel. 23 May 2012. AP.
  6. News: Syria: Damascus clashes prompt claims of high-level assassinations. 21 July 2012. The Guardian. 20 May 2012.
  7. News: High-ranking Syrian officials deny reports of their own assassinations. 21 July 2012. Al Arabiya. 20 May 2012.
  8. News: Syria's Assad forms new government, keeps top ministers. 21 July 2012. Haaretz. 23 June 2012. Reuters.
  9. News: Syria defence minister killed in Damascus bomb. The Telegraph. 18 July 2012.
  10. News: Syria conflict: 'Suicide bomb' kills defence minister. BBC News. 18 July 2012.
  11. News: Syria ministers 'killed in blast'. 18 July 2012. BBC. 18 July 2012.
  12. News: Funeral held for Syria officials killed in bombing. https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20171009220703/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-07-20/business/sns-rt-syria-crisisfuneral-update-2-tvl6e8ikfg9-20120720_1_minister-daoud-rajha-dominic-evans-bomb-attack. dead. 9 October 2017. 21 July 2012. Chicago Tribune. 20 July 2012. Reuters.