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Syrian armed groups to merge into one under auspices of the country's Defense Ministry

Ahmed al-Sharaa, the militant leader of the main group driving the Syrian armed opposition, met with the leaders of the armed groups and discussed with them the new format of the Syrian army

RABAT, December 21. /TASS/. Various Syrian armed groups will merge into one structure under the auspices of the country's Defense Ministry, Ahmed al-Sharaa (known by his nickname Abu Mohammed al-Julani), the militant leader of the main group driving the Syrian armed opposition, said.

"The Syrian armed groups will be united into one structure within a new army under the Defense Ministry," Syria’s Al Watan quoted him as saying.

Al-Sharaa met with the leaders of the armed groups and discussed with them the new format of the Syrian army after the ouster of President Bashar Assad.

In late November, members of armed opposition groups launched a large-scale offensive against government forces' positions in Aleppo and Idlib Governorates. By the evening of December 7, opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad had captured several major cities: Aleppo, Hama, Deir ez-Zor, Deraa, and Homs. They entered Damascus on December 8, after which Syrian army units withdrew from the city. On December 10, Mohammed al-Bashir, who has led the so-called Syrian Salvation Government formed by the opposition in Idlib province since January 2024, announced his appointment as head of the Syrian transitional cabinet, which will last until March 1, 2025.

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