RABAT, December 21. /TASS/. Mourhaf Abu Qasra, also known by his nikname Abu Hassan al-Hamwi, has been appointed to head the Syrian Defense Ministry in the transitional government, the Syria TV channel reported.

According to Al Watan newspaper, Abu Qasra was the commander of the military wing of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham movement (outlawed in Russia), which earlier this month took control of the country's largest cities, including Damascus, and toppled President Bashar Assad.