Riyad al-Asaad has expressed optimism at the formation of the new Syrian army, despite the concerns of his fellow defected officers [Getty]
Defected officers from the former Syrian Arab Army are voicing growing concerns about their integration into the newly formed Syrian Armed Forces under the country’s new administration.
The officers, who defected at the beginning of the Syrian civil war after refusing Assad’s orders to gun down unarmed protesters, formed the Free Syrian Army (FSA), which was at one point the largest armed rebel grouping in the country.
At its height, the FSA held vast swathes of territory in Syria, but its power began to dwindle when it was forced to fight both the Assad regime and the Islamic State group, with it being gradually overtaken by local Islamist militias as the main fighting force against Assad.
Now some of the FSA officers fear that they will face marginalisation as they return to the new post-Assad army, particularly as the new administration has granted top military ranks to civilian leaders of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the rebel force that ultimately overthrew Assad.
Additionally, given HTS was an Islamist force that contained a contingent of non-Syrian fighters, the officers have expressed consternation over foreigners being given officer ranks in the new armed forces.
A few days after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, a number of defected officers issued a statement declaring their readiness to “offer our expertise and military knowledge to reshape the Free Syrian Army on unified national foundations”.
“We extend our hands to all honorable national forces to work together to establish a strong army that represents the aspirations of Syrians for freedom and justice,” the statement added.
The ministry announced on Saturday that it has held extensive meetings with more than 60 military formations since the process of establishing the new National Army began. It confirmed that “all the present military formations agreed to join the new administration.”
It added that Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra has held 47 broad meetings “involving leaders and officers from various factions,” and that the next phase involves solidifying the structure. New sessions will be held with these formations to finalise the structure and appoint leadership “once the Higher Committee for Organizing Armed Forces Data completes its work.” A special committee will also be formed to draft the Ministry of Defence’s internal regulations.
Speaking to The New Arab’s Arabic language sister outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Colonel Riyad al-Asaad, who founded and led the Free Syrian Army presented an optimistic outlook regarding the new Syrian army, stating, “It can be said that the preparatory phase for building the organizational structure of the army is on solid foundations.”
 “The final touches are being put in place before moving to the implementation phase,” he added.
Abu Qasra met last Saturday with a committee representing defected officers led by al-Asaad.
However, Brigadier General Mustafa Farhat, another leading defected officer, was more cautious when assessing the prospects of the establishment of the new army.
“So far, there is no clear vision from the new administration or even from the defected officers about their role in the new Syrian army,” he told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.
Farhat warned that the new administration “cannot overlook those who have served the state for a long time.”
“I think every defected officer of serviceable age will be utilised. Even officers who have reached retirement age should be involved in establishing military research centers to provide consultations,” he added.
