Jassem Alwan
Jassem Alwan (Arabic: جاسم علوان, Jāsim ʿAlwān) (born 4 July 1928 – died 3 January 2018 in Cairo) was a prominent Syrian Army colonel, particularly during the period of the United Arab Republic (UAR) (1958–1961) when he served as the Commander of the Qatana Base near Damascus. Alwan, a staunch supporter of UAR President Gamal Abdel Nasser, opposed Syria's secession from the union in 1961, leading two failed coup attempts to overthrow the secessionist government in 1962.
Jassem Alwan | |
|---|---|
| جاسم علوان | |
Alwan during his military trial, 1963 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 July 1928 Deir ez-Zor, French Syria |
| Died | 3 January 2018 (aged 89) Cairo, Egypt |
| Occupation | Commander of Qatana Military Base (1958-1961) |
| Military service | |
| Years of service | 1946-1963 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
He participated in the Baathist-led 8 March coup that toppled President Nazim al-Qudsi in 1963, but after a Baathist attempt to purge Nasserist officers from the military, Alwan led an insurrection against the new government. It failed, and resulted in Alwan's imprisonment and sentencing to death until he was released in 1964 upon the intervention of Nasser and other Arab presidents. Alwan's aborted counter-coup was a significant episode leading to the deterioration of ties between the governments of Egypt and Syria. From then on, Alwan lived in Egypt where he continued his activism against the Baathist government until he returned to Syria in 2005.