Reuters: Several western countries warned the Syrian administration against appointing foreign jihadists to official military positions
Two informed sources said that the United States, French and German envoys warned the new Syrian administration that their appointment of what they described as foreign jihadists to senior military positions was a source of security concern and harmed their image in their attempt to establish relations with foreign countries.
Reuters quoted a US official as saying that the warning issued by the United States, which comes within the framework of Western efforts to push the new Syrian leaders to reconsider this step, came in a meeting between the US envoy Daniel Rubinstein and the leader of the new Syrian administration, Ahmed al Sharaa, on Wednesday at the presidential palace in Damascus.
“These appointments won’t help them maintain their reputation in the United States,” the US official said.
An official familiar with the talks said that the French and German foreign ministers, Jean-Noël Barrot and Annalena Baerbock, also raised the issue of foreign fighters recruited into the army during their meeting with Shara on January 3rd.
A US State Department spokesman said Washington was in ongoing dialogue with the interim authorities in Damascus.
“The discussions are constructive, and cover a wide range of domestic and international issues,” the spokesman added, explaining that there is tangible progress on counter-terrorism priorities, including ISIS.
The US official and a Western source said the Damascus government has explained the designations of foreign fighters by saying they cannot simply be returned to their home countries or sent abroad where they may face persecution, and that it’s better to keep them in Syria.
The US official added that the authorities also explained that these people helped rid Syria of the regime of ousted President Bashar al Assad, and that some of them had spent more than 10 years in the country, and thus became part of society.
Syrian administration officials said the foreign fighters had made sacrifices to help topple Assad and would have a place in Syria, adding that they might be granted citizenship.
Late last year, Reuters reported that the new Syrian administration had made about 50 appointments, including at least six foreign fighters, including Chinese, Uyghurs from Central Asia, a Turk, an Egyptian, and a Jordanian.
A Syrian military source said that three of them were promoted to the rank of brigadier general, and at least three others were promoted to the rank of colonel.
