Mutlaq Al-Azima: Who is the new commander of the joint forces of the Saudi-led coalition?

The King of Saudi Arabia, Salman bin Abdulaziz, issued a royal order assigning Lieutenant General Mutlaq bin Salem Al-Azima, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Saudi Arabian Army, to carry out the work of commander of the joint forces of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.

This appointment followed the referral of Prince Fahd bin Turki, former commander of these forces, to withdrawal and questioning on suspicions of financial corruption.

The firings and investigations affected several other officers and civilians. Among the most prominent is Prince Abdulaziz bin Fahd bin Turki bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, in accordance with what was expressed in the royal decree that clarified that “based on what was referred to by His Highness the Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense ( Mohammed bin Salman) to the Supervision and Anti-Corruption Commission regarding what was monitored. From suspicious economic deals in the Ministry of Defense and the request to investigate them, and what the commission raised about the existence of financial corruption in the Ministry.

Who is the General Staff, the absolute Azima and what is his career in the Saudi armed forces?

Included in military positions

The biography published by the Saudi Arabian Defense Ministry website claims that Al-Azima was a leading officer who was included in various military posts before the actual decision to commission the joint forces leadership was issued.

Al-Azim began his military education in the Kingdom and graduated from King Abdulaziz War College, with a degree in Military Science, specializing in armored vehicles.

He then completed his military education obtaining a master’s degree in military science from the Command and General Staff College of the Armed Forces within the Kingdom.

He then moved to Egypt to obtain a member of the Higher War College of the Nasser Higher Military Academy.

Al-Azimea moved between various positions in his field military career, beginning as an officer in the Armored Corps, commander of a shield faction, then commander of an infantry platoon and a supply and maintenance platoon, before being appointed as an assistant to a company commander, and later a company commander.

He subsequently became commander of a shield battalion, before moving on to work in administration and then military intelligence, where he assumed the position of intelligence corner assistant in the 4th brigade of the Royal Saudi Arabian Ground Forces in the Operation Desert Shield to liberate Kuwait, or what is known in the Second Gulf War, he later assumed the position of assistant to the commander of the brigade. As a brigade commander in the Saudi army formations.

Island shield

Al-Azima remained an obscure military officer until the spotlight came to light after he assumed the position of commander of the Peninsula Shield Forces, a force that was formed primarily from Saudi ground forces and with the participation of some states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and was sent to Bahrain in 2011 at the request of the Bahraini government following popular protests. That blew up there.

Al-Azima was appointed commander of the southern region and, according to the Saudi Press Agency, “oversaw the” Shield of the South “plan and also took over the management of military operations in Decisive Storm and restoration of hope.” , in reference to the military operations of the Saudi-led coalition forces in the war in Yemen.

He also assumed command of the Eastern Province before assuming the post of military adviser in the office of the Minister of Defense, which was headed by the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia himself, Mohammed bin Salman.

In early 2018, Al-Azmi was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General and was appointed Deputy Chief of General Staff in the Saudi Arabian Army.

He remained in this position until the issuance of the royal order on Tuesday assigning him to carry out the work of commander of the joint forces, following the removal of his former commander and interrogation with him and other officers on charges of corruption and dealings. Suspicious financiers in the Saudi Ministry of Defense.

Joint forces of the Saudi-led coalition have launched a military campaign in Yemen since the Iranian-aligned Houthi group toppled the government in Sanaa in 2015, and the coalition intervened to restore the internationally recognized government.

The United Nations says the war in Yemen has left more than 7,000 dead, most of them civilians, but observers believe the death toll is much higher, and the website for conflict and event data (ACLED), with US-based headquarters, estimates that the death toll has exceeded 90,000 civilians and fighters.

The fighting in Yemen has caused the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with around 24 million people in need of humanitarian assistance or protection, including 10 million people who depend on food aid to survive.