The HTS jihadists appoint one of their leaders as Minister of Defense

BEIRUT Dec. 22 (DPA/EP) –

The jihadist authorities of Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) have appointed this Saturday Marhaf Abu Qasra, a leader of the group also known as Abu al Hassan al Hamawi, as the country’s new Minister of Defense, the new General Command has reported after beginning announce the composition of the new cabinet with the appointment of Asaad Hassan al Shibani as Foreign Minister.

The appointment of Abu Qasra took place after a meeting between the leader of HTS, Ahmed Hussein al Shara, known as Abu Mohamed al Golani, and the leaders of the armed factions.

Abu Qasra, a graduate in agricultural engineering, is a renowned HTS leader born in the city of Halfaya, in the Hama countryside. His appointment occurred after the Military Operations Command – a collective formed by HTS and Syrian rebel groups opposed to the former regime of deposed President Bashar al Assad – appointed Asaad Hassan al Shibani as Foreign Minister in a message published in the SANA news agency, former spokesperson for the Syrian Government now led by the new authorities.

In addition, the Syrian authorities have also appointed Azzam Gharib, alias ‘Abu al Az Saraqib’, as the new governor of the province of Aleppo, whose eponymous capital is the second most important city in the country.

It should be remembered that the former head of the parallel government established by HTS in the areas under its control in Idlib, Mohamed el Bashir, was appointed in the middle of this month as interim prime minister for a transition process that should end on March 1, 2025. .