Abu-Bakr Yunis Jabr
Encyclopedia
Major General
Abu-Bakr Yunis Jabr (Arabic
: أبو بكر يونس جابر) (born 1952 - died 20 October 2011) was the Libyan Minister of Defence under the regime of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi
. His official position was Secretary of the Libyan General Interim Committee for Defence.
There is disagreement about the year of Jabr's birth. According to the UN he was born in 1952 in Jalu
, Libya. The German newspaper the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung gives the much earlier date of 1940. Educated at the Military Academy in Benghazi
, Jabr shared classes with the young Muammar Gaddafi
. Later they both belonged to the Free Officers Movement which on 1 September 1969 removed King Idris from power in a bloodless coup and brought Gaddafi to power.
Jabr has been head of the Libyan Army
since the 1970s and was one of the original members of the 12 army officials of the Revolutionary Command Council led by Gaddafi.
He was reported to be under arrest and in prison for not obeying orders to kill protesters.
It was reported on 7 June that Abu-Bakr Yunis Jabr was executed by Gaddafi for refusing to carry out orders to kill protesters.
On 13 June, Libyan state television showed footage of him for the first time, in what they claim was him greeting soldiers at the frontline in the oil town of Brega.
On 2 August, the Washington Post wrote that on Libyan state television, Gaddafi’s defense minister, Abu-Bakr Yunis Jabr, announced that members of the army who defected to join the rebels and returned to the regime would be protected by a general pardon.
. After the convoy was attacked by NATO aircraft he sought shelter from shrapnel in drain pipes with Gaddafi. NTC fighters captured him and Gaddafi. Witnesses say that he died on his way to a hospital. Abdul Hakim Al Jalil, commander of the NTC's 11th brigade, later showed a photo of Jabr's dead body to Reuters. Al Jazeera also aired footage of his body being driven away in an ambulance.
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Abu-Bakr Yunis Jabr (Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
: أبو بكر يونس جابر) (born 1952 - died 20 October 2011) was the Libyan Minister of Defence under the regime of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar Gaddafi or "September 1942" 20 October 2011), commonly known as Muammar Gaddafi or Colonel Gaddafi, was the official ruler of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then the "Brother Leader" of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011.He seized power in a...
. His official position was Secretary of the Libyan General Interim Committee for Defence.
There is disagreement about the year of Jabr's birth. According to the UN he was born in 1952 in Jalu
Jalu
Jalu, Jaloo, or Gialo is a town in the Al Wahat District in northeastern Libya in the Jalo oasis. From 2001 to 2007 it was part of Ajdabiya District. Formerly it was the administrative seat of Jalu District ....
, Libya. The German newspaper the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung gives the much earlier date of 1940. Educated at the Military Academy in Benghazi
Benghazi
Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya, the main city of the Cyrenaica region , and the former provisional capital of the National Transitional Council. The wider metropolitan area is also a district of Libya...
, Jabr shared classes with the young Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar Gaddafi or "September 1942" 20 October 2011), commonly known as Muammar Gaddafi or Colonel Gaddafi, was the official ruler of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then the "Brother Leader" of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011.He seized power in a...
. Later they both belonged to the Free Officers Movement which on 1 September 1969 removed King Idris from power in a bloodless coup and brought Gaddafi to power.
Jabr has been head of the Libyan Army
Libyan Army
In 2009 the IISS estimated that the Ground Forces of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya numbered 25,000 with an additional, estimated, 25,000 conscripts...
since the 1970s and was one of the original members of the 12 army officials of the Revolutionary Command Council led by Gaddafi.
He was reported to be under arrest and in prison for not obeying orders to kill protesters.
It was reported on 7 June that Abu-Bakr Yunis Jabr was executed by Gaddafi for refusing to carry out orders to kill protesters.
On 13 June, Libyan state television showed footage of him for the first time, in what they claim was him greeting soldiers at the frontline in the oil town of Brega.
On 2 August, the Washington Post wrote that on Libyan state television, Gaddafi’s defense minister, Abu-Bakr Yunis Jabr, announced that members of the army who defected to join the rebels and returned to the regime would be protected by a general pardon.
Death
On 20 October 2011, Al Jazeera reported that Abu-Bakr Yunis Jabr was killed in Sirte. He was in a car convoy with Gaddafi trying to flee from the Siege of SirteBattle of Sirte (2011)
The Battle of Sirte was a battle of the 2011 Libyan civil war that began when the National Liberation Army attacked forces loyal to ousted leader Muammar Gaddafi in his hometown and designated capital of Sirte, on the Gulf of Sidra...
. After the convoy was attacked by NATO aircraft he sought shelter from shrapnel in drain pipes with Gaddafi. NTC fighters captured him and Gaddafi. Witnesses say that he died on his way to a hospital. Abdul Hakim Al Jalil, commander of the NTC's 11th brigade, later showed a photo of Jabr's dead body to Reuters. Al Jazeera also aired footage of his body being driven away in an ambulance.