Syria
HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa holding a meeting with rebel coalition leaders in Damascus on December 24, 2024. Photo: Sharaa’s office.
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Rebel groups in Syria, under the supervision of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, have agreed to dissolve and merge into the country’s defense ministry, the new administration announced on Tuesday.
“A meeting of the leaders of the revolutionary factions with the leader of the new Syrian administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa, results in an agreement to dissolve all factions and merge them under the umbrella of the Ministry of Defense,” an announcement from the office of Sharaa, who is better known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, read.
HTS spearheaded a coalition of rebel groups in a major offensive against the Syrian army, capturing major cities, including the capital Damascus, as Bashar al-Assad fled the country to Russia, marking the end of over five decades of Baathist rule.
The statement did not clarify if the decision applies to the Ankara-supported Syrian National Army (SNA).
After seizing control of Damascus, HTS has worked to consolidate power, establish a transitional government, and restructure state institutions. The group has pledged to stabilize newly captured territories and offer amnesty to conscripted soldiers while vowing to hold senior military and security officials accountable for alleged war crimes.
Thousands of former Syrian soldiers have surrendered to HTS under a national reconciliation process aimed at reintegrating Assad's former forces into the new administration.
HTS has also emphasized that no authority outside the central government will be recognized.
Murhaf Abu Qasra, a prominent HTS commander, was appointed to lead the defense ministry earlier this week.
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