Concern is growing that Syria’s transitional government, led by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS), is giving formal government roles to Islamist extremists, after foreign fighters were among nearly 50 top military appointments at the weekend.
Interim Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra, who led the military wing of HTS, is restructuring the ministry to absorb former rebel factions who fought against former president Bashar Al Assad's regime – and sometimes each other – during the country's civil war. On the face of it, it is an attempt to rebuild a formal security force and rein in armed groups, but the move carries significant risks.
Mr Abu Qasra has promoted militants including Abdulsalam Yasin Ahmad, deputy head of the Turkistan Islamic Party. The faction called for global violence in a video released following the toppling of the Assad regime, despite HTS’s insistence that it has no plans for transnational attacks.
Abdul Jashari, an Albanian who leads Xhemati Alban, a small group of extremists from the Balkans that is a US-designated terrorist group, is among those promoted.
An interim administration is being set up by HTS, which remains designated as a terrorist organisation by the US, Europe and the UN. Its forerunner organisation, Jabhat Al Nusra, once Al Qaeda’s branch in Syria, was also considered a terror group under UN Resolution 2254 in 2015.
Abdul Jashari, an Albanian who leads a group of extremists from the Balkans that is a US-designated terrorist group, is among those promoted
With an array of allied militias, the group toppled Mr Al Assad's government on December 8, in a lightning offensive across the country that saw demoralised and underpaid government forces rapidly crumble. Many observers of the 13-year civil war believed the conflict had frozen following a failed 2020 de-escalation agreement involving Mr Al Assad's regime, Turkey and Russia in the north.
Western powers say HTS's terror designation could be removed, opening the door to reconstruction funding, if the group stays true to promises made by its leader Ahmad Al Shara, formerly known as Abu Mohammed Al Jawlani. Near-term benchmarks will include a new constitution and a road map to elections.
Bands of HTS fighters, operating under the General Security Forces, have been trying to keep order in the war-ravaged country, amid widespread reports of retaliatory killings against figures linked to the former regime, including units accused of atrocities and drug smuggling, such as the Fourth Division.
Some of the attacks have been blamed on HTS, while other reports claim former regime figures are sowing disorder. Clouding the jubilation that followed Mr Al Assad's ousting, looting and theft have also been reported in many areas as criminals seek to exploit a potential power vacuum.
Daily reports are emerging of communities taking up arms to protect themselves. Thousands of men are currently being recruited into ministry of interior security forces, but the interim government appears to be in a race against time to stem further disorder.
A major problem, according to Sam Heller, an expert on Syria and fellow at the Century Foundation, is that HTS lacks the manpower to enforce law and order across the country. Toppling Mr Al Assad's weak forces was widely thought to involve operations totalling little more than 30,000 men. Some factions could muster only a few thousand fighters.
This means that even if Mr Al Shara can appease or rein in the most extreme fighters, other militants could exploit the chaos or clash with each other.
"I wouldn't put it past Jawlani and HTS to attempt to manage this in a smart way, as they did during their rise, but their means are limited. The kind of relative success that they achieved previously was just on a much smaller scale in Idlib, in a more contained, easily controlled space," Mr Heller told The National.
During their meteoric ascent in northern Syria, the group became adept at co-opting or violently crushing opposition forces, including figures linked to Al Qaeda – once the group broke ties – and ISIS, which the group was also linked to. But prominent militants have remained in their ranks.
"What we have seen is militants from the north-west, not just Idlib, but also north Aleppo, overrun the country. Some former opposition factions have switched allegiances again, or reactivated. Then you've got other factions that have no history of working co-operatively with HTS or submitting to its authority," Mr Heller said. This factionalism he adds, could lead to a crisis as severe as rising militancy.
Many factions now aligned to HTS have fought the group, and each other, in the past.
"There are groups like Jaish Al Islam, which has historically had very toxic relations with HTS, which has fought with them many times, which since 2018 has been bottled up in north Aleppo. Now it sounds like they are back in Douma outside Damascus, where they are much more strongly rooted locally than HTS. They may attempt to establish their authority locally."
Fears of growing chaos
Mr Al Shara has pledged that his group will respect minority religious rights and aspects of secular governance maintained under the former regime, including mixed gender schools and women's rights. He has also promised inclusive governance, a major break from the former regime that was characterised by promoting a narrow elite loyal to the Assad dynasty.
These aims seem to conflict with new appointments, including a Uighur commander from the Turkistan Islamic Party, alongside a host of Syrian HTS commanders. Earlier this month, suspected militants burnt an Alawite shrine in Aleppo, sparking widespread demonstrations. The General Security Forces denied involvement in the attack, saying it occurred in the initial chaos of the fall of the Assad regime.
The Turkistanis comprise many Uighurs who have fled from China and the group is said to have been founded in Afghanistan, according to the Counter Extremism Project think tank. Playing a key role alongside HTS’s operations, the Turkistan Islamic Party regularly carried out suicide bombings during the civil war and in 2018 praised the 2001 Al Qaeda attack on the World Trade Centre in New York.
A number of other commanders have also been promoted from groups allied to HTS, including leaders from Ahrar Al Sham, one of the biggest hardline groups in northern Syria which, like its main ally, has tried to soften its views to gain foreign support. During the civil war, the ultraconservative group insisted its struggle was solely with Mr Al Assad and that it posed no threat beyond the country’s borders.
Commanders from smaller allied groups include Jamil Al Saleh, leader of Jaish Al Izza, one of the last nationalist rebel formations in the defunct Free Syrian Army, which was once western-backed before being defeated or absorbed by radical groups.
Another promoted commander is from Harakat Nour Al Din Al Zinki, a group that was briefly supported by the US, before funding and arms were cut off amid concerns over its radical leanings. The group attracted global anger in 2016 when its fighters were filmed brutally executing a child, an incident that occurred after the US cut funds.
The military appointments come after Hadi Al Bahra, president of the National Coalition for Opposition Forces, the main Syrian opposition in exile, said his organisation had not been invited to a national dialogue announced by Mr Al Shara.
In a statement on the website of his organisation after the fall of the regime, Mr Bahra made little reference to the make-up of the interim government but said that “a free Syria fights extremism and terrorism”.
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Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
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Wednesday January 8 –Oman v Namibia
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The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
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The specs
Engine: 0.8-litre four cylinder
Power: 70bhp
Torque: 66Nm
Transmission: four-speed manual
Price: $1,075 new in 1967, now valued at $40,000
On sale: Models from 1966 to 1970
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How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
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Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
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- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
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About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
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How to vote
Canadians living in the UAE can register to vote online and be added to the International Register of Electors.
They'll then be sent a special ballot voting kit by mail either to their address, the Consulate General of Canada to the UAE in Dubai or The Embassy of Canada in Abu Dhabi
Registered voters mark the ballot with their choice and must send it back by 6pm Eastern time on October 21 (2am next Friday)
Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
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Jordan cabinet changes
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Out
- Dr Adel Issa Al Tawissi, Minister of High Education and Scientific Research
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Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre
Transmission: Seven-speed auto
Power: 165hp
Torque: 241Nm
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Iraq negotiating over Iran sanctions impact
- US sanctions on Iran’s energy industry and exports took effect on Monday, November 5.
- Washington issued formal waivers to eight buyers of Iranian oil, allowing them to continue limited imports. Iraq did not receive a waiver.
- Iraq’s government is cooperating with the US to contain Iranian influence in the country, and increased Iraqi oil production is helping to make up for Iranian crude that sanctions are blocking from markets, US officials say.
- Iraq, the second-biggest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, pumped last month at a record 4.78 million barrels a day, former Oil Minister Jabbar Al-Luaibi said on Oct. 20. Iraq exported 3.83 million barrels a day last month, according to tanker tracking and data from port agents.
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- The country stopped trucking Kirkuk oil to Iran about three weeks ago, in line with U.S. sanctions, according to four people with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified because they aren’t allowed to speak to media.
- Oil exports from Iran, OPEC’s third-largest supplier, have slumped since President Donald Trump announced in May that he’d reimpose sanctions. Iran shipped about 1.76 million barrels a day in October out of 3.42 million in total production, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
- Benchmark Brent crude fell 47 cents to $72.70 a barrel in London trading at 7:26 a.m. local time. U.S. West Texas Intermediate was 25 cents lower at $62.85 a barrel in New York. WTI held near the lowest level in seven months as concerns of a tightening market eased after the U.S. granted its waivers to buyers of Iranian crude.
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MATCH INFO
Sheffield United 3
Fleck 19, Mousset 52, McBurnie 90
Manchester United 3
Williams 72, Greenwood 77, Rashford 79
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
India squad for fourth and fifth Tests
Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rahul, Shaw, Pujara, Rahane (vc), Karun, Karthik (wk), Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Pandya, Ishant, Shami, Umesh, Bumrah, Thakur, Vihari
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UNSC Elections 2022-23
Seats open:
- Two for Africa Group
- One for Asia-Pacific Group (traditionally Arab state or Tunisia)
- One for Latin America and Caribbean Group
- One for Eastern Europe Group
Countries so far running:
