Syria’s new rulers have named Murhaf Abu Kasra, a key figure in the uprising that ousted Bashar al-Assad, as defense minister in an interim government, an official source said Saturday.
Abu Kasra, also known by the nom de guerre Abu Hassan 600, is a senior figure in the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group that led the campaign to oust Assad this month. Sources said he led several military operations during the Syrian revolution.
Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Shar’a discussed the “form of military institutions in the new Syria” during a meeting with armed factions on Saturday, state news agency Sanaa reported.
During the meeting, Abu Kasra sat next to Shara, also known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, photos published by SANA showed. Prime Minister Mohammed al-Basir said this week that the defense ministry would be restructured using former rebel factions and officers who defected from Assad’s forces.
Basir, who previously led an HTS-affiliated administration in the northwestern province of Idlib, has said he will lead a three-month transitional government. The new administration has not announced plans for what happens next.
Earlier on Saturday, the ruling General Command appointed Asad Hassan al-Shibani as Foreign Minister, SANA reported. A source in the new administration told Reuters that the move “comes in response to the aspirations of the Syrian people to establish international relations that will bring peace and stability”.
Shibani, 37, a graduate of Damascus University, previously headed the political department of the rebel Idlib government, the general command said.
Shara’s group was part of Al Qaeda until it severed ties in 2016. It was confined to Idlib for years until the offensive in late November, after the army melted into cities in western Syria and Damascus.
Sarah has met with several international ambassadors this week. He said that his main focus was on reconstruction and economic development and that he was not willing to get involved in a new conflict. Syrian rebels seized 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 Shara a terrorist in 2013, after Al Qaeda in Iraq tasked him with ousting the Assad regime and establishing Islamic Sharia law in Syria. US officials said Friday that Washington would remove a $10 million bounty on his head.
The war has killed hundreds of thousands of people, caused the biggest refugee crisis in modern times and left cities in bombed ruins, and global sanctions have hollowed out the economy.
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