On December 24, 2024, the newly established authorities in Syria declared an agreement with all armed groups in the country to dissolve and integrate under the control of the Ministry of Defense. This decision was announced after a meeting in Damascus with the de facto leader, Ahmed al Sharaa, and various faction leaders, as reported by the state news agency SANA.
Al Sharaa, who assumed power after the fall of Bashar al Assad's regime, emphasized the necessity of state control over weaponry, stating that no arms would be allowed to operate outside of government oversight. This policy reportedly extends to factions operating within areas controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Images shared by SANA and the authorities' Telegram account depicted Al Sharaa with leaders of several armed factions, notably excluding representatives from Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria, who are currently engaged in combat against remnants of ISIS and Turkey-backed militias.
A coalition of rebel groups led by the Islamist faction Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) took control of Damascus on December 8, ending over two decades of Assad's rule. Al Sharaa, previously known as Abu Mohamed Al Jolani, was the military chief of HTS.
The current HTS leader, Murhaf Abu Qasra, indicated last week that the upcoming phase involves the dissolution of armed factions to form a unified military institution. This new authority aims to expand its influence into regions of northeastern Syria currently governed by a semi-autonomous Kurdish administration.
The Syrian conflict, which began in 2011, has resulted in over half a million deaths and fragmented the country into areas controlled by various factions backed by regional and international powers.