The United States approved thousands of jihadists to join the new Syrian army

Reuters reported that the United States has given Syria the green light to incorporate former foreign jihadists into the new Syrian army.

Reuters quoted the US special envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack as saying that the US had approved a plan to integrate thousands of former foreign jihadists, provided it was conducted transparently.

Barrack commented, “There is an understanding on this matter, but transparency is required… It’s better to keep these fighters within the state project rather than excluding them”.

According to the Syrian Defense Ministry officials, the plan calls for approximately 3,500 foreign fighters, most of them Uighurs, to join an army unit called the 84th Division, which will also include Syrians.

Reuters added that the Syrian administration argued with Western officials on this matter, saying that integrating the fighters posed less of a security risk than dispensing with them.

Othman Baghra, the political official of the Turkistan Islamic Party, to which most of the aforementioned fighters belong, issued a statement stating that the party had been officially dissolved and its fighters had been integrated into the Syrian army, and that they were committed to the authority of the Ministry of Defense and Syrian national policy.