Syria’s new leaders have appointed Murhaf Abu Kasra, a prominent figure among the rebels who ousted Bashar al-Assad, defense minister in the transitional government, an official source said today.
Abu Kasra, who also goes by the alias Abu Hassan 600, is a senior figure in the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the group that heads a coalition that took power in Syria.
He has led numerous military operations during the Syrian civil war, the same source said.
Syria’s new de facto leader Ahmed al-Sara discussed “the shape of the military institution in the new Syria” during a meeting with armed factions today, state news agency SANA reported.
During the meeting, Abu Kasra was sitting next to Sara, also known by the alias Abu Mohammed al-Golani, according to photos published by SANA.
Prime Minister Mohamed al-Bashir said this week that the defense ministry would be reconstituted to include former rebels and officers who defected from Assad’s army.
Bashir, who previously led a government with links to HTS in the northwestern province of Idlib, has said he will lead a three-month caretaker government.
The new government has not announced plans for what happens next.
Earlier today, the ruling General Administration appointed Assad Hassan al-Shibani as foreign minister, SANA reported.
A source in the new government told Reuters that this step “is being taken in response to the expectations of the Syrian people for the consolidation of international relations that bring peace and stability.”
Shibani, a 37-year-old graduate of Damascus University, was previously head of the political department of a rebel government in Idlib, the General Command said.
Sara’s group was an al-Qaeda arm until it severed ties in 2016. It was confined to Idlib for years until it went on the offensive in late November, capturing towns in western Syria and Damascus as the army retreated.
Sarah met with several international envoys this week. As he said, his primary goal is to rebuild the country and achieve economic development and he is not interested in getting involved in a new conflict.
Syrian rebels took control of Damascus on December 8, forcing Assad to flee after more than 13 years of civil war and ending his family’s decades-long rule.
Washington designated Sarah a terrorist in 2013, saying al-Qaeda in Iraq had tasked him with toppling Assad and imposing Islamic sharia law in Syria. Yesterday, US officials said Washington would drop the $10 million bounty on Sarah.
The civil war has killed hundreds of thousands of people, led to one of the biggest refugee crises of modern times, leveled cities and crippled the economy under international sanctions.
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