Retired Saudi Major General Faleh bin Mohammed bin Manawir Al-Dhahiri, who commanded the operation to retake the Grand Mosque in Makkah during the 1979 siege, has died at the age of 86.
Al-Dhahiri died at a military hospital in Jeddah on Wednesday, September 9.
1979 Makkah Grand Mosque siege
On November 20, 1979, as worshippers completed Fajr prayers, Saudi preacher Juhayman al-Otaybi and hundreds of armed followers seized the Grand Mosque in Makkah and challenged the Saudi monarchy.
The group, which was reported to number up to 600 militants, included people from outside Saudi Arabia and identified itself as al-Ikhwan. Tens of thousands of worshippers were caught inside the sprawling mosque complex during the confrontation.
The standoff lasted until December 4, when Saudi forces restored control of the site. The fighting resulted in hundreds of deaths and had a lasting impact on Saudi Arabia and the wider Muslim world.
Al-Dhahiri’s role
Al-Dhahiri was serving with the King Abdulaziz Armoured Brigade in Tabuk when the seizure took place. He was ordered to bring the brigade to Makkah and was subsequently given command of the military effort to retake the mosque.
He was wounded during the fighting. Al-Dhahiri later spoke publicly about the operation in a televised interview, using maps to describe the course of the military action.
Military career
Born in Makkah in 1939, Al-Dhahiri spent his childhood in Abha, where his father was serving as an army officer. He later entered the Saudi Armed Forces and undertook military training in the Kingdom.
His professional education included parachute, commando and infantry courses, as well as advanced command-and-staff training in the United States. He also obtained a master’s degree in military science.
Al-Dhahiri subsequently held a number of senior military appointments. He served as director of training for the Land Forces and commanded the Northwestern Region in Tabuk before becoming commander of King Abdulaziz Military College.
