Latest news with #foreignfighters
Washington Post
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
A church bombing leads Syria's Christians to consider leaving as foreign fighters remain
DAMASCUS, Syria — The day after last month's deadly suicide attack on a church outside Syria's capital, hundreds of Christians marched in Damascus chanting against foreign fighters and calling for them to leave the country. The June 22 attack on the Mar Elias church, killing at least 25 people and wounding dozens, was the latest alarm for religious minorities who say they have suffered one blow after another since President Bashar Assad was removed from power in December.
New York Times
08-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
They Went to Syria to Fight With Rebels. Now Some Are Joining the New Army.
In the eyes of Syria's new leaders, the foreign fighters who battled alongside their rebel groups to oust the Assad dictatorship are loyal allies 'who have stuck beside the revolution.' For the United States, many of these fighters conjure images of terrorist groups like the Islamic State. Thousands of foreigners flocked to Syria to fight in the multi-sided civil war that began in 2011 and lasted nearly 14 years. Some joined rebel groups like the Islamist faction formerly led by Syria's new president, Ahmed al-Shara, and helped them to unseat President Bashar al-Assad in December. Now, the foreign fighters who remain in Syria have become a point of contention as the Trump administration takes steps to warm relations with the country. Over the past couple of months, American officials have variously suggested expelling them or excluding them from senior positions in the government and military. But as Syria's government rebuilds its military after the devastating war, it has already begun folding some of these foreigners into the army, according to government officials and some of the fighters themselves. The defense, foreign and information ministries did not respond to requests for comment on the matter. Mr. al-Shara's rebel group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, included many foreign combatants. He now finds himself in the difficult position of trying to balance his loyalties to them with his focus on establishing diplomatic relations with countries that want the fighters either marginalized or gone. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
LBCI
02-06-2025
- General
- LBCI
US gives nod to Syria to bring foreign jihadist ex-rebels into army
The United States has given its blessing to a plan by Syria's new leadership to incorporate thousands of foreign jihadist former rebel fighters into the national army, provided that it does so transparently, President Donald Trump's envoy said. Three Syrian defense officials said that under the plan, some 3,500 foreign fighters, mainly Uyghurs from China and neighboring countries, would join a newly-formed unit, the 84th Syrian army division, which would also include Syrians. Asked by Reuters in Damascus whether Washington approved the integration of foreign fighters into Syria's new military, Thomas Barrack, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey who was named Trump's special envoy to Syria last month, said: "I would say there is an understanding, with transparency." He said it was better to keep the fighters, many of whom are "very loyal" to Syria's new administration, within a state project than to exclude them.
Asharq Al-Awsat
02-06-2025
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
US Gives Nod to Syria to Bring Ex-Opposition Foreign Fighters into Army
The United States has given its blessing to a plan by Syria's new leadership to incorporate thousands of foreign former opposition fighters into the national army, provided that it does so transparently, President Donald Trump's envoy said. Three Syrian defense officials said that under the plan, some 3,500 foreign fighters, mainly Uyghurs from China and neighboring countries, would join a newly-formed unit, the 84th Syrian army division, which would also include Syrians. Asked by Reuters in Damascus whether Washington approved the integration of foreign fighters into Syria's new military, Thomas Barrack, the US ambassador to Türkiye who was named Trump's special envoy to Syria last month, said: "I would say there is an understanding, with transparency." He said it was better to keep the fighters, many of whom are "very loyal" to Syria's new administration, within a state project than to exclude them. The fate of foreigners who joined Syria's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group during the 13-year war between opposition factions groups and President Bashar al-Assad has been one of the most fraught issues hindering a rapprochement with the West since HTS, a one-time offshoot of al-Qaeda, toppled Assad and took power last year. At least until early May, the United States had been demanding the new leadership broadly exclude foreign fighters from the security forces. But Washington's approach to Syria has changed sharply since Trump toured the Middle East last month. Trump agreed to lift Assad-era sanctions on Syria, met Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh and named Barrack, a close friend, as his special envoy. Two sources close to the Syrian defense ministry told Reuters that Sharaa and his circle had been arguing to Western interlocutors that bringing foreign fighters into the army would be less of a security risk than abandoning them, which could drive them into the orbit of al-Qaeda or ISIS. The US State Department and a Syrian government spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.
Khaleej Times
02-06-2025
- General
- Khaleej Times
US gives nod to Syria to bring foreign militant ex-rebels into army
The United States has given its blessing to a plan by Syria's new leadership to incorporate thousands of foreign militant former rebel fighters into the national army, provided that it does so transparently, President Donald Trump's envoy said. Three Syrian defence officials said that under the plan, some 3,500 foreign fighters, mainly Uyghurs from China and neighbouring countries, would join a newly-formed unit, the 84th Syrian army division, which would also include Syrians. Asked by Reuters in Damascus whether Washington approved the integration of foreign fighters into Syria's new military, Thomas Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey who was named Trump's special envoy to Syria last month, said: "I would say there is an understanding, with transparency." He said it was better to keep the fighters, many of whom are "very loyal" to Syria's new administration, within a state project than to exclude them. The fate of foreigners who joined Syria's Hayat Tahrir Al Sham rebels during the 13-year war between rebel groups and President Bashar Al Assad has been one of the most fraught issues hindering a rapprochement with the West since HTS, a one-time offshoot of Al Qaeda, toppled Assad and took power last year. At least until early May, the United States had been demanding the new leadership broadly exclude foreign fighters from the security forces. But Washington's approach to Syria has changed sharply since Trump toured the Middle East last month. Trump agreed to lift Assad-era sanctions on Syria, met Syria's interim President Ahmed Al Sharaa in Riyadh and named Barrack, a close friend, as his special envoy. Two sources close to the Syrian defence ministry told Reuters that Sharaa and his circle had been arguing to Western interlocutors that bringing foreign fighters into the army would be less of a security risk than abandoning them, which could drive them into the orbit of Al Qaeda or Daesh. The US State Department and a Syrian government spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment. Chinese concerns Thousands of foreigners joined Syria's rebels early in the 13-year civil war to fight against Assad, who was himself aided by Iranian-backed militias. Some fighters formed their own factions, while others joined established groups such as Daesh, which briefly declared a caliphate in swathes of Syria and Iraq before being routed by an array of forces backed both by the United States and Iran. Foreign fighters within HTS earned a reputation as loyal, disciplined and experienced militants, and formed the backbone of the group's elite so-called suicide units. They fought against Daesh and against other wings of Al Qaeda from 2016, when HTS broke away from the group founded by Osama bin Laden. The Uyghur fighters from China and Central Asia are members of the Turkistan Islamic Party, a group designated as terrorists by Beijing. A Syrian official and a foreign diplomat said China had sought to have the group's influence in Syria restricted. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said: "China hopes that Syria will oppose all forms of terrorism and extremist forces in response to the concerns of the international community." Osman Bughra, a TIP political official, told Reuters in a written statement that the group had officially dissolved and integrated into the Syrian army. "At present, the group operates entirely under the authority of the Ministry of Defence, adheres to national policy, and maintains no affiliations with external entities or groups," he said. In December, the appointment of a handful of foreign militants who were part of HTS's senior leadership to top military posts had alarmed Western governments, raising concerns over the direction of Syria's new Islamist leadership. Demands to freeze the appointments and expel rank-and-file foreign fighters became a key point of contention with Washington and other Western countries up until the week of Trump's landmark meeting with Sharaa. Sharaa has said that foreign fighters and their families may be granted Syrian citizenship due to their role in fighting Assad. Abbas Sharifa, a Damascus-based expert on militant groups, said the fighters being included in the army had shown loyalty to Syria's leadership and were "ideologically filtered". But "if you abandon them they become prey to Daesh or other radical groups" he said.
