What is the fate of the remaining foreign fighters in Syria?

The United States’ rapid approval of a plan proposed by the Syrian leadership to allow thousands of foreign militants who were previously part of the opposition to join the new formation of the Syrian Army has complicated the thorny issue of foreign fighters.

According to observers, the confusion stems from the fact that the merger is limited to a single category of fighters—Uyghurs from China—excluding Arab, Uzbek, and Chechen fighters, who are considered the main complex of the issue.

The rapid US approval raised numerous questions among observers, and prompted interpretations of the details of the decision, which stipulated that approximately 3,500 foreign fighters, most of them Uyghurs from China and neighboring countries, would join a newly formed unit, the 84th Division of the Syrian Army, which will also include Syrians.

According to three defense officials who spoke to Reuters, the US approval was conditional on transparency and not holding leadership or senior positions in the government or military.

Observers don’t rule out the possibility that the exclusion of other nationalities, whose fighters’ number more than 9,000, is intended to push them to other extremist organizations and then combat them within what was formerly known as the “War on Terror,” which targeted ISIS.

While the US decision included approximately 3,500 foreign fighters to be incorporated into the new Syrian military establishment, reports suggest there will be another batch.