Southern Syrian militants resist disarmament orders: Spokesperson
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Ahmad al-Sharaa, the country’s new leader, had declared that the authorities would "absolutely not allow there to be weapons in the country outside state control."
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Forces loyal to the new Syrian government gather in the town of Busra in Syria's southern Daraa province, on January 5, 2025 (AFP)
Militants in southern Syria who took part in toppling President Bashar al-Assad are resisting orders from the country’s new leadership to disarm and disband, their spokesperson told AFP.
An offensive led by the Islamist Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group swept through Syria from the north to Damascus on December 8, abruptly ending five decades of al-Assad family rule.
On December 25, the nation’s new Islamist government announced an agreement with armed factions for their dissolution and integration into the Defense Ministry.
Ahmad al-Sharaa, the country’s new leader, declared that the authorities would "absolutely not allow there to be weapons in the country outside state control."
However, a spokesperson for the Southern Operations Room, a coalition of armed groups from the southern province of Daraa established on December 6 to oust al-Assad, expressed opposition to the directive.
"We're not convinced by the idea of dissolving armed groups," indicated its spokesman Naseem Abu Orra.
"We're an organized force in the south... headed by officers who defected" from the previous Syrian army, he explained to AFP in the town of Bosra, Daraa.
Abu Orra suggested that their coalition could integrate into the defense ministry as a pre-organized military entity, affirming, "We have weapons, heavy equipment."
He also pointed out that the group, led by local commander Ahmad al-Awdeh, comprises thousands of fighters with no Islamist affiliations.
Sources close to the group revealed that al-Awdeh maintains strong relations with Russia, a former ally of al-Assad, as well as neighboring Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.
Read more: Syrian Defense Minister meets with armed factions for integration
