Syria’s HTS chief says to dissolve armed wing, integrate into forces

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham military chief vows to dissolve armed wing and integrate into Syrian armed forces.

The military chief of Syria's victorious Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham said on Tuesday (December 17, 2024) it would be "the first" to dissolve its armed wing and integrate into the armed forces.

"In any state, all military units must be integrated into this institution," Murhaf Abu Qasra, known by his nom de guerre Abu Hassan al-Hamawi, said in an interview with AFP, adding that "we will be, God willing, among the first to take the initiative [to dissolve our armed wing]".

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He added that Kurdish-held areas of Syria would be integrated under the country's new leadership, adding that the group rejects federalism and that "Syria will not be divided".

"The Kurdish people are one of the components of the Syrian people... Syria will not be divided and there will be no federal entities," he said.

A U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led administration controls swathes of north and northeastern Syria, and has recently been battling Turkish-backed groups which have captured several Kurdish towns.

Abu Qasra also called on the international community to "find a solution" to repeated Israeli strikes and an "incursion" into Syrian territory.