Damascus: Rebel factions in Syria will be “dispersed”, the head of the group that ousted Bashar al-Assad has promised, as the former president described the country’s new rulers as “terrorists”.
Assad fled Syria on December 8, when rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) captured the capital Damascus, ending decades of brutal dictatorship and years of civil war.
HTS leader Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, now using his real name Ahmed al-Shara, is trying to reassure governments at home and abroad that the country’s interim leaders will protect all Syrians as well as state institutions.
Meeting with members of the Druze community on Monday, he said all rebel factions “will be disbanded and fighters will be trained to join the ranks of the Ministry of Defense.”
“All will be subject to the law,” he added, according to posts on the group’s Telegram channel.
He also emphasized the need for unity in a multi-ethnic and multi-ethnic country.
He said that Syria should remain united. “There should be a social contract between the state and all religions to guarantee social justice”.
The comments came as Assad broke his silence for the first time since fleeing Syria to Russia, claiming he had been evacuated from the military base at Moscow’s request.
Russia, along with Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, helped prop up the Assad regime.
“My departure from Syria was neither planned nor did it happen in the final hours of the fighting, as some have claimed,” Assad said in a statement on the ousted president’s Telegram channel.
“Moscow requested that the base command arrange for an immediate evacuation of Russia,” he added.
“When a state falls into the hands of terrorism and loses its ability to make a meaningful contribution, any position becomes meaningless.”
However, five former officials told AFP that Assad had left Syria hours before rebel forces captured Damascus.