The minister said that not only did the new administration not plan to reinstate conscription – a reason why many especially Syrian young men fled abroad – but that there was no need for it given the large number of volunteers [Shelly Kittleson]
In Damascus, down the street from soldiers warming their hands over a makeshift fire outside government buildings on a cold January night, the country’s defence ministry stood almost empty, utterly unimposing: welcoming, almost.
Other thick-bearded, laughing soldiers informally waved The New Arab’s reporter over a fence restricting access on her way towards the building, brushing away formalities.
Maj. Gen. Murhaf Abu Qasra, previously known as Abu Hassan al-Hamawi, has been defence minister of post-Assad Syria for just over a month but had led Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham’s (HTS) military operations for years, overseeing military planning, training, and armament.
On what changes will be made to prevent oppressing the Syrian population yet again, Murhaf said in our January 22 interview that, “in the past, there were a multitude of intelligence branches, all of which were used” to foster fear, hatred, and “servitude”.
He said that defining the objective of the intelligence service was key and that using it “against the people is not right”.
The defence ministry now, he said, aims to “reach a stage at which there is harmony and love between the Syrian people and its armed forces”.
An announcement that all armed factions that took part in the fighting against the former regime would be integrated into state institutions, that Syria’s 2012 constitution had been cancelled and that the former regime’s parliament, army and security agencies were all formally dissolved came at a January 29 conference in Damascus.
Commanders of military factions that had taken part in the battles sat in full military attire in the photos released afterwards, a few making speeches.
Ahmed al-Sharaa, previously known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, was named president.
Part of the country still not under central control seems to be a potentially destabilizing factor.
The US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) took part in neither the opposition to the regime nor the January 29 conference.
The SDF leadership is closely linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is outlawed in the US, EU, and Turkey; however, the majority of the fighters on its payrolls are Arabs with no other means of subsistence.
In the extensive January 22 interview at the ministry, the minister was initially circumspect in his response to questions about the SDF, noting however that all military factions in the country were being treated the same and that negotiations were underway to prevent loss of lives.
Many of the commanders of factions that took part in the HTS-led offensive are originally from areas under SDF control but cannot go back as long as the SDF is there; additionally, some tribal fighters consider the SDF to be sworn enemies due to alleged theft of land and resources as well as bloodshed.
“The region will be liberated, inshallah,” the minister stressed in relation to the “occupied” part of the country under the SDF, which control an Arab-majority area rich in natural resources. “But the population must be patient. Resolving this issue peacefully is better.”
Especially, he noted, since “many Islamic State members are in the prisons” currently in SDF-held areas; securing the handover of these detention facilities is key.
He implied, however, that force would be used if necessary.
In an aside, he noted that he had many Kurdish friends from his university years in Damascus and that “of course they all want their country to be liberated. But it would be better if it is done in a diplomatic and peaceful manner.”
The minister said that not only did the new administration not plan to reinstate conscription – a reason why many especially Syrian young men fled abroad – but that there was no need for it given the large number of volunteers.
As to what the defense ministry needs, Abu Qasra, who has a degree in agricultural engineering, noted that, “unfortunately many things are needed: aircraft maintenance, tank maintenance, air defence maintenance, radar maintenance. Infrastructure is needed.”
“On the issue of foreign fighters in our ranks, first of all, there are few of them,” he noted, and, like Syrians, “they took part in the fight against the regime and they have a right” to be here and on ministry payrolls.
On whether foreign fighters would get citizenship, he said this is not up to his ministry. Moreover, he added, “There are Syrians who still do not have [Syrian] nationality and want it. Syrians who do not have identification papers. This matter requires a long time and there are many hurdles in the way.”
Abu Qasra said his ministry would establish a “moral and political guidance department” focusing on military doctrine while “reviving the determination to build armed forces to defend the homeland, containing all the components of the Syrian fabric to prevent conflicts”.
In an interview with The Washington Post, Abu Qasra called an Israeli advance onto Syrian territory following the December 8 ousting of Assad a “violation against the Syrian people”. He did not comment in the interview with The New Arab on what sort of actions the country might take against Israel were similar violations to continue.
The minister and other officials in the new administration have made multiple trips to neighbouring nations in recent weeks. Sharaa visited Saudi Arabia as his first international trip as president on February 2 and will fly to Turkey on Tuesday.
Abu Qasra noted that, as an administration, “we are currently visiting Turkey and Arab countries. The goal of the visits is to get to know each other and restore relations”, since “the previous regime had cut Syria off from all countries, both Arab and otherwise.”
As to whether Turkey would enjoy any sort of special relationship with the new government, the minister said that he believed this was likely since the country had “helped the Syrian revolution from its very beginnings until the fall of the regime”.
On Iraq, whose longstanding close relations with Iran and allied militias render the situation more complex, he noted that “there is communication between Syria’s defense ministry and its counterparts in other countries but there is for now no communication between it and the Iraqi defense ministry.”
“However, there is communication between the two countries’ foreign ministries,” he said, stressing that above all Syria wants peace.
