Jamal al-Faisal
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Homs, Ottoman Empire
France (1939–1945)
First Syrian Republic (1946–1950) Second Syrian Republic (1950–1958)
United Arab Republic (1958–1961)Jamal al-Faisal | |
|---|---|
![](#/media/File:Syrian_officer_Jamal_al-Faisal_on_the_cover_of_the_magazine_"Syrian_Soldier"_(cropped).jpg) Jamal in 1961 | |
| Born | 1915 Homs, Ottoman Empire |
| Died | September 28, 1995 (aged 79–80) Homs, Syria |
| Allegiance | France (1939–1945) First Syrian Republic (1946–1950) Second Syrian Republic (1950–1958) United Arab Republic (1958–1961) |
| Years of service | 1939–1961 |
| Rank | General |
| Battles / wars | 1948 Arab–Israeli War |
| Spouse(s) | Samira Al-Shahabi |
| Children | 2 |
Jamal taher al-Faisal (1915 – 28 September 1995) was a Syrian military officer who played a significant role during the late 1950s and early 1960s. He served as the Chief of Staff of the Syrian Army from 1959 until 1961, succeeding Lieutenant General Afif al-Bizri.[1]
He was born in Homs to a father who was a merchant and mosque imam, and a mother from the influential Haraki family in Maarat al-Numan. He studied primary school at Manbaa Al-Irfan School and graduated from the Homs Military College in 1939, He then joined the Eastern Army under the French Mandate in Syria. In 1941, he was appointed assistant to the head of the Deir ez-Zor Garrison, before defecting from the French and joining the rebels when France bombed the capital, Damascus, on May 29, 1945. France sentenced him to death, and when the Syrian Army was founded on August 1, 1945 he was one of its first officers.