By Adam Rasgon
The new authorities in Syria are making initiatives to consolidate various rebel groups under a unified government, marking their latest attempt to claim control over the nation following the removal of Bashar Assad.
According to SANA, the Syrian state-owned news agency, multiple rebel groups have consented to disband and merge under the Defense Ministry.
In addition to disbanding these factions, Ahmad al-Sharaa, the head of the campaign that toppled the Assad regime, has recently undertaken further measures to establish a new governmental structure. His administration has appointed an interim prime minister to manage a transitional government until March and has committed to forming a legal committee to create a new constitution.
The dissolution of the nation’s armed groups is a sensible decision for a leadership aiming to create a singular national military.
“They are focused on nation-building,” stated Dareen Khalifa, a senior adviser at the International Crisis Group, which studies global crises. “You cannot construct a state when you have countless militias operating independently.”
Khalifa, who met with al-Sharaa earlier this week, indicated that disbanding the rebel factions was a primary objective for the new leaders of Syria, as “rogue factions” were acting autonomously in several rural regions.
While efforts to dissolve rebel groups were underway, there were reports of sporadic clashes and incidents of violence.
The Syrian Military Operations Command announced a security operation in Homs against forces loyal to the former regime that had opened fire on civilians. A curfew was enforced in Homs, Tartus— a key Syrian port city on the Mediterranean— and Latakia from 8 p.m. Wednesday until 8 a.m. Thursday.
The agreement to unify the rebel factions was announced on Tuesday. Social media depicted al-Sharaa convening with numerous leaders of rebel groups, many dressed in military attire.
Al-Sharaa, previously recognized as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, has been attending official gatherings recently in a business suit as opposed to military garb. Since his faction, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, led the charge against Assad, he has positioned himself more as a statesman rather than a rebel commander, advocating relatively moderate political views despite prior associations with extremist groups.
On Sunday, he stated at a press conference that “the principles of a state diverge from those of a revolution.” He spoke alongside Turkey’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan.
“We definitely will not permit the existence of arms beyond the state’s authority,” al-Sharaa declared, referring to both rebel factions and the Kurdish-led militia, the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which operate independently from the rebels.
The Syrian Democratic Forces manage an autonomous region chiefly inhabited by Kurds in northeastern Syria, while rebel groups maintain influence in various other areas. An alliance of rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham played a crucial role in overthrowing Assad’s regime.
The SANA report claimed that all rebel factions agreed to the unity pact formed on Tuesday. However, The New York Times could not independently confirm this information. It appeared that the Syrian Democratic Forces had not joined the agreement.
Farhad Shami, a media official with the Syrian Democratic Forces, mentioned that his group wasn’t opposed in principle to being incorporated into a new Syrian military, but the integration needed to be discussed with the new authorities in Damascus without the interference of regional powers.
He added that the Syrian Democratic Forces sought dialogue with their counterparts in Damascus regarding combating the Islamic State group, drafting a new constitution that ensures rights for all Syrians, conducting elections, and establishing an inclusive government.
The Kurdish-led forces have been engaged in combat against the Islamic State in Syria for several years with support from U.S. military forces. Neighboring Turkey harbors animosity towards the Kurdish group, perceiving it as an affiliate of a Kurdish organization in Turkey that has been in conflict with the Turkish government for many years.
On Wednesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey remarked that Kurdish forces in Syria must either surrender their weapons or “face destruction.”
