The new leadership in Syria has incorporated several foreign fighters, including Uighurs, a Jordanian, an Albanian, and a Turk, into the country’s armed forces as Damascus seeks to reorganize various rebel groups into a professional army, two Syrian sources told Reuters.
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| Terrorists celebrating in Damascus after the fall of the Assad regime |
According to the report, the decision to grant official roles, including high-ranking positions, to some jihadists is likely to alarm foreign governments and Syrian citizens already wary of the new administration’s intentions. This comes despite the administration's promises to avoid exporting the Islamic revolution and to govern with tolerance toward Syria's significant minority groups.
The sources revealed that out of nearly 50 military roles announced by the Ministry of Defense on Sunday, at least six were assigned to foreign nationals.
Among them, according to Reuters, is the Albanian Abdul Jashari, also known as Abu Qatada al-Albani. He has reportedly been appointed as a colonel.
Jashari previously led the Albanian jihadist group Xhemati Alban and was placed on the U.S. terrorism list in 2016.
This move raises questions about the new Syrian leadership's strategy, which appears to blend military reorganization with controversial alliances that could further complicate the region's geopolitics.