Saahir Salim

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Saahir Salim
محمد عرقاب
Mohamed Arkab at the EU-Algerian High-Level Energy Dialogue - P061960-808379 (cropped).jpg
Saahir Salim in 2023
Interim-President of Zalluabed
In office
20 August 2023 – 26 October 2023
Preceded byHusani Antar (ousted)
Succeeded byJirhanu Bjyala
Deputy-Minister of Defense
In office
1 April 2014 – 26 October 2023
Preceded byJirhanu Bjyala
Personal details
Born(1966-02-19)February 19, 1966
Zakaraban,  Zalluabed
DiedOctober 26, 2023(2023-10-26) (aged 57)
Zakaraban, Zalluabed
Occupation
  • Chief executive officer
  • Military general
  • Minister

Saahir Salim (19 February 1966 - 26 October 2023) was a Zalluabedi military general and politician who was the interim-President of Zalluabed, having ousted Husani Antar in the 20 August 2023 coup, until his death in a Zamastanian airstrike in Zakaraban. Prior to his assuming executive power, Salim was the Deputy-Minister of Defense and head of the Royal Zalluabed Defense Forces, and he was highly respected among the military forces of Zalluabed. His political alliances with Presidents Abdelaziz Melkabaar and Zayyaan al-Akhtar solidified his position within the armed forces, but the election of Husani Antar in early 2023 and his subsequent progressive reforms, including the intention to leave the TTPA, led Salim and ideologically like-minded military officers to enact a coup against Antar. Antar was ousted, and he fled into exile in Albarine shortly after. Salim assumed all executive power, including suspending the authority of King Farik al-Jamura. After the coup, a civil war broke out in Zalluabed between Salim's forces and pro-Antar rebels. Salim was killed in a drone strike by Zamastan.

Salim was amongst the most popular personalities in Zalluabed, viewed by many as a "selfless hero fighting Zalluabed's enemies", by others as a "murderer". Internationally, Salim has been labeled an authoritarian and warmonger, having been responsible for controversial Zalluabedi military action during the Tarijar Strait standoff, Hisrea War, the 2021 attack on the ZMS Monserrati, and after assuming executive power, the civil war. His orders are believed to have resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians in Hisrea. He has also been credibly accused of propping up the regime of Asaad al-Shaad in Terehan, and providing funding to the Islamic Terehanian Alliance State.

Early life and education

Military career

Deputy-Minister of Defense

Tarijar Strait crisis

Hisrea War

2023 coup and civil war

Personal life

Death