Asad Ghanma (14 February 1930 – 18 July 2006) ( ar, أسعد غنما) was a Jordanian Christian

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

. From the town of

Al Hisn Al hisn is a village in south-western Yemen. It is located in the Abyan Governorate. External linksTowns and villages in the Abyan Governorate
{{Abyan Governorate Populated places in Abyan Governorate Villages in Yemen ...

in northern Jordan, Ghanma served as major and commander of the 48th Infantry Battalion of the

Jordanian army The Royal Jordanian Army (Arabic: القوّات البرية الاردنيّة; ) is the Army, ground force branch of the Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF). It draws its origins from units such as the Arab Legion, formed in the Emirate of Transjord ...

during

1967 Arab-Israeli War The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab states (primarily Egypt, Syria, and Jordan) from 5 to 10 Ju ...

and the

Battle of Karameh The Battle of Karameh ( ar, معركة الكرامة) was a 15-hour military engagement between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and combined forces of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF) in the Jor ...

. After the 1967 war, he was promoted to

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

and remained in the

Jordanian Armed Forces The Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF) ( ar, الْقُوَّاتُ الْمُسَلَّحَةُ الأرْدُنِية, romanized: ''Al-Quwwat Al-Musallaha Al-Urduniyya''), also referred to as the Arab Army ( ar, الْجَيْشُ الْعَرَب� ...

until retirement. He is well known for his role in the Samu Incident.

Samu Incident

Asad Ghanma was the commander of the 48th Infantry Battalion of the Jordanian army during the Samu Incident, which was the first Jordanian force to arrive at the battlefield.Bowen, p. 24. At the time of the Israeli raid into Samu, the Jordan's troops were strained, having been deployed across the 600-kilometer border with Israel and Ghanma's unit was the only one present in Samu's vicinity. The Israeli force consisted of eleven Centurion tanks, fifty armored half-tracks and 500 paratroopers and was backed by Ouragan bombers and eight field guns from the Israeli side of the border to counter any potential Jordanian armored vehicles or artillery.Bowen, pp. 24–25. As the Israelis entered Samu and surrounding villages, Ghanma's forces, divided into three companies headed directly towards the Israelis' blocking position and were intercepted northwest of Samu.Bowen, p. 25. Two other Jordanian companies were also intercepted from the northeast, but a Jordanian platoon managed to enter the town and engaged in close quarter fighting with the Israelis until the latter routed them. Fifteen Jordanian soldiers and three civilians were killed, 54 were wounded and much of Samu's buildings and infrastructure were heavily damaged or destroyed. An Israeli commander was killed and ten soldiers wounded. After the battle, Asad Ghanma received the Medal of Bravery from the King

Hussein Hussein, Hussain, Hossein, Hossain, Huseyn, Husayn, Husein or Husain (; ar, حُسَيْن ), coming from the triconsonantal root Ḥ-S-i-N ( ar, ح س ی ن, link=no), is an Arabic name which is the diminutive of Hassan, meaning "good", " ...

, for his role in the battle.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ghanma, Asad 1930 births 2006 deaths Jordanian generals Eastern Orthodox Christians from Jordan People from Al Husn