Osama Askar
Lieutenant General Osama Askar is an Egyptian Army officer. He commands the Unified Command East of the Canal.
Osama Askar | |
---|---|
Birth name | Mohammed Osama Askar |
Born | Dakahlia, Egypt | 17 April 1957
Allegiance | Egypt |
Service/ | Egyptian Army |
Years of service | 1978 - |
Rank | Lieutenant General |
Unit | 11th Infantry Regiment |
Commands held | 141st Special Forces Regiment (2002-2005) 110th Independent Mechanized Brigade (2005-2009) 23rd Mechanized Division (2010-2013) Third Field Army (2013-2015) |
Askar was born in 1957 and attended the Nasser Military Academy. He has commanded a mechanized infantry brigade and the 23rd Mechanised Infantry Division, part of the Third Army.[1] Up until 2015 he commanded the Third Field Army.
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi issued two declarations in January 2015. The first changed the force structure of the army by creating a "unified command" to oversee counterterrorism operations east of the Suez Canal.[2] The new command was created on Saturday, 31 January 2015. The second promoted Osama Askar, Third Army commander, to lieutenant general—one of a handful in the armed forces—and placed him in charge of the "unified command."[3] He will also retain his seat on the SCAF. Askar's former deputy, Muhammad Abdullah, has been appointed commander, and Tarek Anwar Helal the chief of staff, of the Third Field Army.[4]
References
- "Osama Askar". The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy. 22 July 2014.
- "Egypt's New Military Brass". www.washingtoninstitute.org. Retrieved 2016-01-30.
- "Egyptian army makes leadership changes". Middle East Monitor – The Latest from the Middle East. Retrieved 2016-01-30.
- "Egypt: Land of the Generals". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2016-01-30.