Syria’s new leadership has integrated several foreign fighters, including individuals from the Uyghur community, a Jordanian, and a Turkish national, into the country’s armed forces, Reuters reported on Monday.
This is part of an effort to unify a fragmented coalition of rebel groups into a professional military structure, according to two Syrian sources cited in the report.
The decision to grant official roles—some of them senior ones—to jihadists may raise concerns among foreign governments and Syrian citizens, despite the administration’s pledges to govern with tolerance and avoid exporting an Islamic revolution.
A spokesperson for Syria’s government did not respond to requests for comment regarding the rationale behind these appointments.
According to the sources quoted by Reuters, six of the 49 military positions announced by the Defense Ministry on Sunday were assigned to foreign fighters. Reuters has not been able to independently verify the nationalities of those appointed.
During the 13-year civil war, thousands of Sunni Muslim foreign fighters joined the ranks of Syrian rebel groups, opposing Bashar Al-Assad’s government and its Iran-backed Shiite allies. Many formed their own factions, while others joined extremist groups like Islamic State, which declared a brief “caliphate” before being defeated by US- and Iran-supported forces.
Some jihadists joined Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which broke ties with Al-Qaeda and ISIS, engaging in fierce battles against both before leading the offensive that ultimately toppled Assad on December 8.
HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, now Syria’s de facto ruler, has since worked to reform his group by sidelining foreign jihadists and promoting a more moderate image.
The new Syrian administration, dominated by HTS members, has indicated that foreign fighters and their families might receive Syrian citizenship in recognition of their contributions to the uprising.
Last week, Sharaa announced that he has reached an agreement with the leaders of the other Syrian rebel groups to dissolve their organizations and join the new Syrian government.
Under the agreement, the rebel groups will lose their independence and be integrated into the new Syrian army under the Defense Ministry.
On Sunday, Sharaa announced in an interview that HTS would be dissolved during a national dialogue conference.
In that same interview, Sharaa said that holding elections in the country could take up to four years. The comments mark the first time he has discussed a potential electoral timeline since Assad was ousted.
In response to concerns from neighboring states about Islamist groups, Sharaa assured, “We will not work on exporting the revolution. We want to manage the phase with the mentality of the state and not revolution.”
He added that the new leadership is committed to building strategic relations with all regional countries.