Latest news with #MurhafAbuQasra
Khaleej Times
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Syria sets 10-day deadline for 'small groups' to join Defence Ministry
Syria's defence minister has called on small armed groups that have yet to merge with the security apparatus to do so within 10 days or face unspecified measures, in a bid to consolidate state authority six months after Bashar Al Assad was toppled. A plethora of weapons outside government control has posed a challenge to interim President Ahmed Al Sharaa's efforts to establish control, as groups that both back him and oppose him remain armed. Syrian Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra, in a statement late on Saturday, said "military units" had now been integrated into "a unified institutional framework", calling this a great achievement. "We stress the need for the remaining small military groups to join the ministry within a maximum period of 10 days from the date of this announcement, in order to complete the efforts of unification and organisation," he said. He did not say which factions he was talking about. The statement did not seem aimed at the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a large Kurdish-led force in the northeast that signed an agreement with Sharaa earlier this year aimed at integration with state institutions. Damascus received a big diplomatic boost last week when US President Donald Trump met Sharaa and announced sanctions on Syria would be lifted. Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab has said the decision would support efforts "to consolidate security and stability and promote civil peace in Syria and the region". Rebel groups which, like Sharaa's Islamist Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, fought Assad during the war agreed in December to dissolve into the Defence Ministry. Syria has faced several outbreaks of violence this year. In March, militants killed hundreds of members of the Alawite minority in revenge killings prompted by what the government described as deadly attacks by Assad-loyalists on its forces in the coastal region. More than 100 people were reported killed by fighting that erupted in late April in Druze areas near Damascus, pitting militants against Druze fighters. The Syrian authorities conducted raids on Saturday targeting Daesh cells in Aleppo.
Epoch Times
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Damascus Gives Syrian Armed Groups 10 Days to Join State Security Apparatus
Syria's post-Assad regime has given independent armed factions 10 days to merge with the state-run security apparatus or face punitive measures, according to Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra. In a statement released over the weekend, Abu Qasra said Syrian 'military units' had been successfully merged into a 'unified institutional framework' subject to government control. But he went on to stress 'the need for the remaining small military groups to join the ministry within a maximum period of ten days ... in order to complete the efforts of unification and organization.' Abu Qasra's statement, however, did not specify which factions the ultimatum referred to. It did not appear to be aimed at the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-led armed group backed by Washington that now controls much of the country's northeast. In March, the SDF signed a deal with Damascus to incorporate its fighters into the state security apparatus, and for SDF-held territory and institutions to be placed under the control of Damascus. Related Stories 5/18/2025 5/13/2025 At the time, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio hailed the deal, reaffirming Washington's support for a 'political transition [in post-Assad Syria] that demonstrates credible, non-sectarian governance as the best path to avoid further conflict.' Last week, however, neighboring Turkey, which views the SDF as a terrorist group, said the terms of the deal between the group and Damascus had yet to be implemented. 'We expect these steps to be put into practice,' Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on May 15 after meeting both Rubio and his Syrian counterpart in Turkey's southern Antalya province. 'In order for stability to be achieved in Syria, there must be a comprehensive government, a single legitimate armed force.' Ongoing Violence The regime of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad was toppled last December by a rebel offensive led by Hezb Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an armed Sunni group formerly linked to the al-Qaeda terrorist group. Since then, Syria's new HTS-led government has sought to consolidate its authority and bring the country's disparate armed factions under state control. Shortly after the regime's collapse, Sunni militant groups that had opposed Assad—including HTS—agreed to be merged into the state security apparatus. Graduates of Syria's General Security forces under the country's new administration attend a ceremony in the city of Aleppo, Syria, on Feb. 12, 2025. Aaref Watad/AFP via Getty Images Syria remains home to a host of armed factions that continue to operate independently, some of which support the new government while others oppose it. In March, Sunni militants in the coastal Latakia province killed hundreds of members of Syria's Alawite community, a religious minority from which the long-ruling Assad family hailed. Last month, scores were killed in southern Syria after fighting erupted between Sunni militants and armed members of the country's minority Druze community. On May 17, Syrian security forces raided sites linked to the ISIS terrorist group in the city of Aleppo, during which three ISIS terrorists were killed, according to Syrian authorities. The defense ministry said one member of the security apparatus was also killed during the raids, while another four ISIS terrorists were detained. The following day, three security personnel were killed when a As of publication time, the perpetrators of the attack were still unknown. During a landmark visit to Saudi Arabia last week, U.S. President Donald Trump met HTS chief Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria's interim leader. After the meeting, Trump announced that longstanding U.S. sanctions on Syria, which had ostensibly targeted the Assad regime, would be lifted. Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab said the move would help efforts to 'consolidate security and stability and promote civil peace in Syria and the region.' Reuters contributed to this report.
LBCI
18-05-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Syria sets deadline for 'small groups' to join Defense Ministry
Syria's Defense Minister has called on small armed groups that have yet to merge with the security apparatus to do so within 10 days or face unspecified measures, in a bid to consolidate state authority six months after Bashar al-Assad was toppled. A plethora of weapons outside government control has posed a challenge to interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa's efforts to establish control, as groups that both back him and oppose him remain armed. In a statement late on Saturday, Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra said "military units" had now been integrated into "a unified institutional framework", calling this an outstanding achievement. "We stress the need for the remaining small military groups to join the ministry within a maximum period of 10 days from the date of this announcement, to complete the efforts of unification and organization," he said. Reuters
Asharq Al-Awsat
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Syria Sets Deadline for ‘Small Groups' to Join Defense Ministry
Syria's defense minister has called on small armed groups that have yet to merge with the security apparatus to do so within 10 days or face unspecified measures, in a bid to consolidate state authority six months after Bashar al-Assad was toppled. A plethora of weapons outside government control has posed a challenge to interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa's efforts to establish control, as groups that both back him and oppose him remain armed. Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra, in a statement late on Saturday, said "military units" had now been integrated into "a unified institutional framework", calling this a great achievement. "We stress the need for the remaining small military groups to join the ministry within a maximum period of 10 days from the date of this announcement, in order to complete the efforts of unification and organization," he said. He did not say which factions he was talking about. The statement did not seem aimed at the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a large Kurdish-led force in the northeast that signed an agreement with Sharaa earlier this year aimed at integration with state institutions. Damascus received a big diplomatic boost last week when US President Donald Trump met Sharaa and announced sanctions on Syria would be lifted. Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab has said the decision would support efforts "to consolidate security and stability and promote civil peace in Syria and the region". Armed opposition groups, like Sharaa's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, fought Assad during the war agreed in December to dissolve into the Defense Ministry. Syria has faced several outbreaks of violence this year. In March, gunmen killed hundreds of members of the Alawite minority in revenge killings prompted by what the government described as deadly attacks by Assad-loyalists on its forces in the coastal region. The Syrian authorities conducted raids on Saturday targeting ISIS cells in Aleppo.
Al Arabiya
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Syria sets deadline for ‘small groups' to join Defense Ministry
Syria's defense minister has called on small armed groups that have yet to merge with the security apparatus to do so within 10 days or face unspecified measures, in a bid to consolidate state authority six months after Bashar al-Assad was toppled. A plethora of weapons outside government control has posed a challenge to interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa's efforts to establish control, as groups that both back him and oppose him remain armed. Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra, in a statement late on Saturday, said 'military units' had now been integrated into 'a unified institutional framework', calling this a great achievement. 'We stress the need for the remaining small military groups to join the ministry within a maximum period of 10 days from the date of this announcement, in order to complete the efforts of unification and organization,' he said. He did not say which factions he was talking about. The statement did not seem aimed at the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a large Kurdish-led force in the northeast that signed an agreement with al-Sharaa earlier this year aimed at integration with state institutions. Damascus received a big diplomatic boost last week when US President Donald Trump met al-Sharaa and announced sanctions on Syria would be lifted. Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab has said the decision would support efforts 'to consolidate security and stability and promote civil peace in Syria and the region'. Groups like al-Sharaa's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, fought al-Assad during the war agreed in December to dissolve into the Defense Ministry. Syria has faced several outbreaks of violence this year. In March, hundreds of members of the Alawite minority were targeted in revenge killings prompted by what the government described as deadly attacks by al-Assad-loyalists on its forces in the coastal region. More than 100 people were reported killed by fighting that erupted in late April in Druze areas near Damascus, pitting militants against Druze fighters. The Syrian authorities conducted raids on Saturday targeting ISIS cells in Aleppo.
