The United States has granted approval for Syria to integrate thousands of foreign takfiri militants into its new army, according to a report.
The US has granted approval for Syria to integrate thousands of foreign takfiri militants into its new army, after the leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)-led regime expressed readiness to normalize relations with Israel.
On Monday, the British news agency Reuters quoted three Syrian military officials who indicated that, under the new administration's plan, approximately 3,500 foreign militants who fought alongside the Syrian opposition against former President Bashar al-Assad would be incorporated into a newly created unit called “the 84th division of the Syrian army”.
Asked by Reuters whether Washington had approved this move, Thomas Barrack, President Donald Trump's special envoy for Syria, replied, “I would say there is an understanding, with transparency.”
Barrack asserted that it is preferable to keep these militants, many of them “very loyal” to the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)-led administration in Syria, within a state project, rather than exclude them.
Washington had opposed this initiative, but its position on Syria changed radically following Trump's meeting with Abu Mohammad al-Golani, leader of the HTS regime, in Saudi Arabia in May.
During his visit to Riyadh, Trump announced the full lifting of U.S. sanctions against Syria.
According to the report, thousands of foreign takfiri militants fought against the government of former President Bashar al-Assad during the thirteen-year armed conflict.
Some of these fighters formed their own groups, while others joined established organizations such as the Daesh terrorist group.
Al-Golani has stated that these foreign militants and their families could obtain Syrian citizenship due to their role in fighting the former regime.
Abu Mohammad al-Golani, a former commander prominent in both Al-Qaeda and Daesh, is currently the de facto president of Syria.
In December, armed groups led by HTS militants announced the complete takeover of the Syrian capital and the fall of President Al-Asad's government.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently revealed how the Israeli military facilitated the HTS takeover in Syria in December.
The security situation in Syria under the control of HTS - a splinter offshoot of the Al-Qaeda terrorist group - remains fragile. Incidents of sectarian violence, including the massacre of hundreds of Alawites in March, have intensified minority fears vis-à-vis the now-dominant militants.