US and Europe Warn Syrian Government About Appointing Foreign Jihadists

Representatives from the US, France, and Germany have expressed concern over the appointment of non-Syrian jihadist forces to senior military positions by the new Islamist rulers of Syria, warning that such actions could damage their international standing. Reuters reported that Daniel Rubinstein, the US envoy, raised Washington's concerns during a meeting on Wednesday, January 9, with Ahmad al-Shara, the de facto ruler of Syria, at the presidential palace in Damascus. According to an informed source cited by Reuters, Jean-Noël Barrot and Annalena Baerbock, the foreign ministers of France and Germany, also raised similar concerns in their recent meetings with Ahmad al-Shara. In recent weeks, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham appointed about 50 senior officials, including six foreign jihadist militants from the Uyghur region of China, Central Asia, Turkey, Egypt, and Jordan, three of whom were promoted to the rank of general. US and European officials are worried that the appointment of foreign Islamists to senior military positions in the new Syrian government could encourage transnational jihadists. Defending this action, the Islamist rulers of Syria have stated that returning these non-Syrian Islamists to their countries could be dangerous and that these individuals will be granted Syrian citizenship. Among the appointed jihadist Islamists are Abdulrahman Hussein al-Khatib from Jordan, Abdulaziz Dawood Khodabardi from Uyghur China, and Alaa Mohammed Al-Abqi from Egypt. However, a spokesperson for the US State Department stated that 'constructive' and extensive negotiations with the new Syrian rulers continue, and 'tangible progress has been made in counter-terrorism priorities, including ISIS.' The United States and the European Union, while welcoming the overthrow of over five decades of the Assad family's dictatorship in Syria, have emphasized the need to establish an inclusive government composed of various ethnic and religious groups in the country.