Syria's new rulers have appointed Murhaf Abu Kasra, a leading figure in the uprising that toppled Bashar al-Assad, as defense minister in the interim government, an official source said, quoted by Reuters and BTA.
Abu Kasra, also known by the pseudonym Abu Hassan 600, is a senior figure in the Islamist group "Hayat Tahrir al-Sham" (HTS), which led the campaign that led to Assad's overthrow this month. He has led numerous military operations during the Syrian revolution, according to a Reuters source.
Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa discussed "the shape of the military institution in the new Syria" at a meeting with armed factions today, the state news agency SANA reported. During the meeting, Abu Kasra sat next to al-Sharaa, also known by the alias Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani, according to photos published by the agency.
Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir said this week that the defense ministry would be restructured with the help of former rebel factions and officers who defected from Assad's army.
Bashir, who previously led the HTS-linked administration in the northwestern province of Idlib, said he would head a three-month transitional government. The new administration has not announced plans for what will happen after that.
Earlier today, the new authorities appointed Assad Hassan al-Shibani as foreign minister, SANA reported. A source in the new administration told Reuters that the move "comes in response to the Syrian people's desire to establish international relations that bring peace and stability."
Ash Shibani, a 37-year-old graduate of Damascus University, previously headed the political department of the rebel government in Idlib, the authorities said.
The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said five of its fighters were killed in attacks by Turkish-backed forces on the northern Syrian city of Manbij, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
The fighting in the city erupted after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad nearly two weeks ago, with Turkey and its Syrian armed groups taking control of the city from the Kurdish-led SDF on December 9.
The organization, an ally in the US coalition against the militants of the Islamic State, is led by the People's Protection Units (YPG), a group that Ankara sees as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants who have been fighting the Turkish state for 40 years. Turkey considers the PKK, the SDF and the YPG terrorist groups.
The United States is mediating a ceasefire between Turkey and its Syrian Arab rebels and the SDF. On Wednesday, the State Department said a ceasefire around Manbij had been extended until the end of the week, but a day later a Turkish Defense Ministry official said no ceasefire agreement with the SDF was being discussed, Reuters reported.