Syria’s de facto leader claims ex-rebel groups agree to integrate under Defence Ministry

A meeting between al-Sharaa and the heads of the groups “ended in an agreement on the dissolution of all the groups and their integration under the supervision of the ministry of defence”, said a statement by the new administration on Tuesday.

However, the Kurdish-led and United States-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) group in northeastern Syria is not part of the deal just announced.

Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir had said last week that the ministry would be restructured using former rebel factions and officers who defected from Bashar al-Assad’s army.

Following a sweeping offensive over two weeks ago that catapulted Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) into power in Damascus, the country’s new rulers appointed Murhaf Abu Qasra, a leading figure in the rebellion that toppled al-Assad, as defence minister in the interim government.

Al-Sharaa had previously promised that all weapons in the country, including those held by Kurdish-led forces, would come under state control.

He has sought to reassure Western officials visiting him that HTS, a former al-Qaeda affiliate, will neither seek revenge against the former government nor repress any religious minority. He said his primary focus is on reconstruction and achieving economic development and that he is not interested in engaging in any new conflicts.

Syrian opposition fighters seized control of Damascus on December 8, forcing al-Assad to flee after more than 13 years of war, ending his family’s decades-long rule.

Forces under the command of al-Sharaa have installed a three-month caretaker government.