Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa will induct foreign rebels and jihadist fighters who helped him overthrow former dictator Bashar al-Assad into the Syrian Army.
Syrian officials estimate some 3,500 foreign fighters, mainly Uyghurs from China and neighbouring countries, would join a newly-formed unit of the Syrian Army, the 84th division.
According to a Reuters report, US President Donald Trump has given his blessing to the plan, provided the deployment is done transparently.
That's a right about turn for the Trump administration that initially demanded the rebels be purged from Syria's security forces, in exchange for sanctions relief. US feared that the jihadists would launch attacks against Israel, once they got a foothold in Syria.
Notably, the Israeli Prime Minister also voiced these concerns. Netanyahu said allowing foreign fighters to be a part of the new Syrian regime would be a threat to Israel’s sovereignty. Sharaa's assurances that he would not allow Syrian territory to be used against Israel did little to calm these fears.
To make matters worse, foreign fighters in Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham were accused of committing atrocities against minorities after the fall of the Assad regime. Armed assaults on Christians, Druze, and Alawites in Syria, triggered a global outcry.
The US even demanded an investigation into the incidents and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.
This put Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani during his rebel days, in a very difficult position.
These foreign fighters had been fighting alongside HTS for over a decade. Showing them the door after taking over Syria could lead to resentment and possibly rebellion. It's during this diplomatic impasse with the US that Saudi Arabia is said to have intervened.
During his trip to the Middle East, Trump made a sharp pivot and agreed to lift Assad-era sanctions. He even met Sharaa in Riyadh. The US President praised the new Syrian leader as a very “handsome man” who could reshape the war-torn nation.
Notably, US had a $10 million bounty on Jolani for his association with ISIS and later al-Qaeda. Both the bounty, and the foreign rebel concern were soon forgotten.
US interlocutors now argue that integrating these rebels into the Syrian Army poses fewer risks than abandoning them. What if the fighters rejoin al-Qaeda or ISIS when expelled?
The US is onboard with the rebel integration plan, but what about China? Most of the foreign fighters in HTS are Uyghurs from China and Central Asia. Many are members of the Turkistan Islamic Party, which is designated a terrorist organisation by Beijing.
China had reportedly sought to limit the group’s influence in Syria. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson voiced hopes that Syria would oppose all forms of terrorism and extremist forces in response to international concerns.
But considering China has been accused of a genocide against the Uyghur population in its north-western region of Xinjiang, Beijing's concerns were brushed aside. Some of the Uyghur fighters have instead been promoted to officer ranks in the Syrian Defense Ministry.
Uyghurs are also rumored to form a key component of Sharaa’s praetorian guard, alongside fighters from Central Asia and the Caucasus. China has responded to the perceived threat with a two-pronged approach.
Beijing has condemned the appointment of Uyghur fighters to build diplomatic pressure on the new Syrian regime. It has also reportedly ramped up counterterrorist operations targeting these fighters, in coordination with international allies. But, with the US on his side, Sharaa seems determined to integrate his loyalist fighters into new Syria's security regime.
