Syrian factions to integrate into Ministry of Defense under new deal
Shafaq News/ On Tuesday, leaders of Syrian military factions reached an agreement with Syria’s new leader, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, to dissolve all factions and integrate them into the Ministry of Defense.
The decision followed a meeting between the two parties, as announced by the Syrian Military Operations Administration.
“The meeting also resulted in an agreement to unify the factions under the Military Operations Administration, ensure regional security, and begin withdrawing heavy weapons, with preparations underway to collect weapons previously held by the former regime in designated areas,” the administration said.
Al-Sharaa began laying the foundations for his first government following the fall of Bashar Al-Assad regime.
On Saturday, the new Syrian administration appointed Murhaf Abu Qasra as Minister of Defense in the transitional government. An agricultural engineer from Halfaya in Hama, Abu Qasra is the head of the military wing of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS,) a group designated as a terrorist organization by the US and other countries.
In a recent meeting, Al-Sharaa and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan agreed on the need to dissolve all armed factions, including Kurdish groups, and transfer their weapons to the state. “We will not allow weapons outside state control. Armed factions, including those in areas controlled by the primarily Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), will dissolve gradually. The presence of any armed group anywhere poses a threat to security and stability,” Al-Sharaa stated.
