Syrian authorities say armed groups agree to disband, merge under defence ministry
Syria's new authorities announced Tuesday that they had reached an agreement with the country's rebel groups on their dissolution and integration into the regular defence forces.
"A meeting of the heads of the groups" with new Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa "ended in an agreement on the dissolution of all the groups and their integration under the supervision of the ministry of defence", said a statement carried by state media agency SANA and the authorities' Telegram account.
No details of the armed groups were provided.
Photos published by the state-run SANA news agency showed the country's new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, surrounded by the heads of several armed factions -- but not representatives of the Kurdish-led forces in Syria's northeast.
The announcement comes just over two weeks after president Bashar al-Assad fled Syria, following a lightning offensive spearheaded by Sharaa's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group.
Syria's new prime minister, Mohammed al-Bashir, had said last week that the ministry would be restructured using former rebel factions and officers who defected from Bashar al-Assad's army.
On Sunday, Sharaa said the new authorities would "absolutely not allow there to be weapons in the country outside state control".
That also applied to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, he said.
Sharaa will face the daunting task of trying to avoid clashes between the myriad groups.
Read more on FRANCE 24 English
Read also:
Jordanian, Qatari envoys meet Syria's new leader for reconstruction talks
Syrian Druze brigade reluctant to give up their arms in uncertain times
