Report: Syria Appoints Foreign Fighters to Military as Part of Post-Assad Restructuring
Syria’s new leadership has incorporated several foreign fighters into its armed forces, including Uyghurs, a Jordanian, a Turk, and others, as part of efforts to transform a coalition of rebel groups into a professional military, according to two Syrian sources.
The Defense Ministry announced Sunday that at least six of the 49 new military appointments involve foreign nationals. Three were given the rank of brigadier-general, while others were named colonels. This decision has raised concerns among foreign governments and Syrian citizens despite assurances from the new administration that it intends to govern inclusively.
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Ahmed al-Sharaa, the de facto ruler and former leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), emphasized the need for Syria to move beyond militia-style governance, stating, “The new Syria cannot be run by the mentality of groups and militias.”
One controversial appointment is Chinese Uyghur Abdulaziz Dawood Khudaberdi, also known as Zahid, who was named brigadier-general. The Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP), which Khudaberdi leads in Syria, celebrated his promotion alongside the appointments of two other Uyghur fighters as colonels.
China condemned the decision, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning labeling the TIP a terrorist organization and calling for international action against it.
Other appointees include Turkish citizen Omar Mohammed Jaftashi, Jordanian Abdul Rahman Hussein al-Khatib, and Albanian Abdul Jashari, a US-designated terrorist.
