rebel group HTS will dissolve its armed wing, announces its military leader

In an interview with AFP, Mourhaf Abou Qasra also called for an end to Israeli incursions and strikes on the country.

The group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) outlines measures for the next day in Syria. The military leader of the Islamist organization, at the head of the coalition of rebel groups which overthrew Bashar al-Assad and seized power in the country, announced Tuesday, December 17 to AFP that “the next step” would be the dissolution of armed groups, starting with its own, to incorporate them into the country’s future regular army.

In an interview given in the coastal city of Latakia, Mourhaf Abou Qasra, known by his nom de guerre Abu Hassan al-Hamwi, also affirmed that the new power wanted to extend its authority over the Kurdish areas of the northeast of the country. and that he “refused federalism”. The HTS group calls on Western countries to remove it from the list of “terrorist organizations”while calling for an end to military incursions and strikes carried out by Israel in Syria.

Earlier Tuesday, the UN special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, told the United Nations Security Council that the conflict was not “finished”with a risk of new clashes in the north of the country between Syrian Kurdish forces and groups supported by Turkey. A truce between these factions was nevertheless declared, and extended until the end of the week of December 16, the United States announced.

For his part, thehe director general of the UN migration agency, Amy Pope, “not recommended” Tuesday a massive return of Syrian refugees to their country as long as the situation there is not stabilized. “People have the right to return home (..) but we advise against large-scale returns”infrastructure “could not support such an influx”the head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) told AFP during a visit to Lebanon.

According to the United Nations, one million Syrian refugees could return to their country between January and June 2025. “Without investment in Syria (…), sending people back will only further destabilize the country and likely create pressure” and a potential new wave of emigration, warned Amy Pope.