- Source: Adib al-Jarf
Adib Ajib al-Jarf (Arabic: أديب عجيب الجرف) ((1946-05-06)May 6, 1946 – (2021-10-26)October 26, 2021) was a Syrian fighter pilot ace and military officer, who was awarded the Hero of the Syrian Arab Republic for shooting down several Israeli aircraft in the 1973 October War.
Career
Adib al-Jarf was born in Salamiyah in 1946. He joined the Kuweires Military Aviation Institute and served in the Air Force as a combat pilot in the combat aviation branch on the Soviet MiG-21 fighter.
He began his service with the rank of pilot officer student in 1964 and retired with the rank of brigadier general. In the October War, he shot down seven Israeli planes: two French-made Mirage jets and five F-4 Phantom planes. One of the planes was shot down over Ramlet al-Baida in the Lebanese capital Beirut, and another on the road to Bikfaya. During his service, he received several medals, including the coveted Hero of the Syrian Arab Republic & the Order of Civil Merit of the Syrian Arab Republic.
Al-Jarf is also noted to be the youngest individual to reach a flag officer rank in the Syrian Arab Armed Forces.
Later life
Al-Jarf later passed away from COVID-19 in his hometown of Salamiya in 2021.
