Brig. Gen. Ahmad Al-Assiri attains star status

Writers — expats and Saudis — have been coming up with articles on Brig. Gen. Ahmad Al-Assiri, consultant in the office of the Defense Ministry and spokesman for Operation Decisive Storm, which ended Tuesday.
Well-known Saudi TV host and Islamic scholar Mohsin Shaikh Al-Hassan has written a biography in Arabic of Al-Assiri who was also involved in the 1990-1991 Gulf War but in a different capacity.
According to Al-Hassan, Al-Assiri was a French language translator at the time and was called the “Shadow Man.”
“He speaks fluent French and English which greatly impressed television viewers,” Al-Hassan said.
As spokesman, Al-Hassan added: “Al-Assiri brings to mind Brig. Gen. Ahmed Al-Rabian, spokesman for the 1990-1991 Gulf War.”
“Many people ask me ‘Who is this Al-Assiri who has become a media superstar?’ That’s why I thought of writing a short biography of him,” Al-Hassan said.
The biography’s working title is “The Media Superstar.”
“He graduated from Saint-Cyr military college in France, which was established by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802,” Al-Hassan said.
He added that Al-Assiri also received a master’s degree in military science from a college in Saudi Arabia and earned another master’s degree in France.
“He earned a third master’s degree in strategic science. He has also received military training at different institutions like Sandhurst Military Academy in the UK and West Point Military Academy in the US,” he said.
Al-Hassan added that Al-Assiri has received awards from different countries like France, Kuwait, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, in addition to medals received in his current position.
“For all his achievements, all Saudis love Al-Assiri,” Al-Hassan said.
He added that Al-Assiri comes from the village of Mohaiyel in Asir region.