Damascus: Syria’s de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, revealed on Sunday that his administration would unveil the new structure of the defence ministry and military in the coming days. Speaking at a joint press conference with Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Sharaa emphasized that his administration would not permit the presence of weapons outside state control.
An official source told Reuters on Saturday that Murhaf Abu Qasra, a prominent figure in the insurgency that ousted Bashar al-Assad two weeks ago, has been appointed as the defence minister in the interim government. However, Sharaa made no mention of this appointment during his statements on Sunday.
State news agency SANA reported that Sharaa had discussed the framework of the military institutions during a meeting with armed factions on Saturday. This meeting is expected to play a critical role in shaping the country’s military future.
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Last week, Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir announced plans to restructure the defence ministry by integrating former rebel factions and officers who had defected from Assad’s army. The initiative aims to establish a cohesive and unified defence force under state oversight.
