The Assad government fell on December 8 after nearly 14 years of civil war in Syria. The armed rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) played the biggest role behind this. After taking office, HTS chief Ahmed al-Shara planned to form a single force with all rebel parties to reconstruct Syria. Although the issue is complicated, he sat in discussions with all armed groups.
Al-Shara signed an agreement with the leaders of the former rebel group on Tuesday (December 24). A statement from the new administration said, “An agreement has been reached between al-Sharaa and the heads of the groups, where all the groups will be dissolved and merged under the supervision of the Ministry of Defense.”
The decision to form a single force is being seen as a successful leadership move by Ahmed al-Sharaa. From now on, the responsibility for avoiding clashes between the different groups will fall on al-Sharaa.
Naturally, the force will be led by HTS. There will also be the Turkish-backed Eighth Brigade of the Fifth Corps, the Syrian Front, and the rebel group Jaish al-Islam.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir said last week that the ministry would be rebuilt using former rebel groups and officers who broke away from Bashar al-Assad’s army.
Syria’s new rulers have appointed Murhaf Abu Kasra as the country’s interim defense minister. He was one of the key figures behind Bashar’s downfall.
This is perhaps the most significant development in Syria since the fall of the Assad government. Soon after the fall of al-Assad's regime, opposition fighters from across the country entered Damascus, some of whom claimed areas of the capital.
Syria's ethnic and religious minorities include Muslim Kurds and Shiites, Syriac, Greek and Armenian Orthodox Christians, and members of the Druze community. They have been wary of future Sunni Islamist rule during the civil war.
However, analysts have also expressed doubts about the extent to which these regional armed groups will be united under a single force.
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