Damascus (TDI): Two weeks after seizing power in a sweeping offensive, Syria’s new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on Sunday said weapons in the country, including those held by Kurdish-led forces, would come under state control.
He was speaking alongside Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, after earlier meeting with Lebanese Druze leaders, where he pledged to end “negative interference” in neighbouring Lebanon.
During a media conference with Fidan, Sharaa said Syria’s armed “factions will start to announce their dissolution and enter” the army.
“We will not permits any weapons to exist outside state control, whether from revolutionary factions or those in the SDF-controlled areas,” he stated, referencing to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
Ankara-backed rebels played an important role in supporting Sharaa’s group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which headed a rebel alliance and seized Damascus on December 8.
He emphasized, “We are working to protect minorities and sects from attacks and prevent external actors from exploiting the situation to incite sectarian discord.”
“Syria is a home for all and we can coexist peacefully,” he added.
Fidan also stressed the sanctions on Syria should end as soon as possible.
He urged the global community to “mobilise to help Syria get back on its feet and for the displaced people to return”.
Turkiye’s Ties with Syria’s New Leaders
Turkiye has maintained strong relations with Syria’s new leaders, and Ankara’s intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin was in Damascus just 4 days after Assad fell.
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It has meanwhile continued operations against Kurdish-held areas in northeastern Syria, with a Britain-based war monitor reporting on Saturday that a Turkish drone strike killed 5 civilians in the area.
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Ankara regards the People’s Protection Units (YPG), the main component of the SDF, as being associated with the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) at home, which has been declared as a terrorist organization both by Turkiye and Western allies.
