Syrian armed groups agree to disband and join defence ministry, says new administration

Syria's de facto leader Ahmad Al Shara says all weapons, including those held by Kurdish-led forces, will come under state control

Hayat Tahrir Al Sham leader Ahmad Al Shara, centre, speaks at a meeting of Syrian armed opposition groups to discuss their dissolution and merger under the ministry of defence

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A number of Syria's armed factions have agreed to disband their groups and work under the ministry of defence, the country's interim administration said on Tuesday.

The agreement was reached during a meeting between the factions and Syria's de facto leader Ahmad Al Shara, the head of Hayat Tahrir Al Sham which led a lightning rebel offensive that ousted president Bashar Al Assad this month.

The one-line government statement did not say which factions had taken part in the meeting. Numerous armed opposition groups have fought Mr Al Assad's army and allied militias during Syria's 13-year civil war, including those aligned with HTS, others operating collectively as the Syrian National Army, and groups in southern Syria.

A senior commander in the SNA, which is backed by Turkey, told The National that “some factions met with Ahmad Al Shara and confirmed that they are ready to work within the ministry of defence”.

The SNA has not held an official meeting with Mr Al Shara yet, and those groups who met him do not represent everyone, the commander, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.

He added that “the majority of the factions met with Mr Al Shara and there is fear among the rest because the formation of the ministry of defence and chief of staff has not relied on officers [from Mr Al Assad's army], and not all the defected officers were assigned any mission, but rather [the process] relied on those close to Al Shara.”

The interim government's Prime Minister Mohammed Al Bashir said last week that the defence ministry would be restructured using former rebel factions and officers who defected from Mr Al Assad's army. The government on Saturday appointed Murhaf Abu Qasra, a senior figure in the HTS who played a significant role in the military campaign that toppled Mr Al Assad, as defence minister.

Mr Al Shara, formerly known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed Al Jawlani, said on Sunday that all weapons in the country, including those held by Kurdish-led forces, would come under state control. He was speaking alongside Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who was on a visit to Damascus. Ankara-backed rebels played a key role in supporting HTS.

Mr Al Shara said Syria's armed “factions will begin to announce their dissolution and enter” the army. “We will absolutely not allow there to be weapons in the country outside state control, whether from the revolutionary factions or the factions present in the SDF area”, he added, referring to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, who are backed by the US.

He also said “we are working on protecting sects and minorities from any attacks that occur between them” and from “external” actors exploiting the situation “to cause sectarian discord”. He said: “Syria is a country for all and we can coexist together.”