Syria updates: Rebel groups to be disbanded, HTS leader says – DW – 12/17/2024

The leader of the group that led the ouster of Bashar Assad has pledged that Syria’s rebel factions will be ‘disbanded.’

In a meeting with members of the Druze community, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, leader of Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Shams (HTS), said the various groups joining hands to end Assad’s 24-year tenure will “be disbanded and the fighters trained to join the ranks of the defence ministry.”

“All will be subject to the law,” he added, according to posts on the group’s Telegram channel late on Monday.

Al-Golani, now using his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa, has looked to reassure minorities at home and governments abroad that the country’s interim leaders will protect both the country’s entire population, as well as its state institutions.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that he welcomed the Syrian caretaker government’s commitment to protect civilians, including humanitarian workers.

“I also welcome their agreement to grant full humanitarian access through all border crossings; cut through bureaucracy over permits and visas for humanitarian workers; ensure the continuity of essential government services, including health and education; and engage in genuine and practical dialogue with the wider humanitarian community,” Guterres said.

He called for the international community to rally behind the Syrian people as they “seize the opportunity to build a better future.”

This comes following a meeting between UN aid chief Tom Fletcher and Syria’s new administration, meant to discuss scaling up humanitarian assistance in the country.

US-led efforts to secure a truce in the Kurdish area of northern Syria have failed, a Kurdishmilitia said.

The Kurdish-led, US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said this was due to Turkey’s refusal to accept key points in the negotiations. 

“Despite US efforts to stop the war, Turkey and its mercenary militias have continued to escalate their war on Kurdish areas over the last period,” the group said, also blaming Turkey for not taking the negotiations seriously.

Although the United States and Turkey are both members of NATO, the two are on opposite sides of this conflict, via their proxies.

While the SDF is an important partner for the United States in the fight against the so-called “Islamic State” group in Syria, Turkey sees the militia as an offshoot of the banned Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK), which it classifies as a terrorist organization.

ftm/zc (Reuters, AFP, AP, dpa)