Ahmad al-Sharaa, Syria's de facto leader, has appointed dozens of former opposition members, including several foreign jihadists, to prominent positions in the Syrian Army as part of efforts to restructure the country's military.

The appointments come weeks after the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's government and amid efforts to rebuild state institutions that had been dominated by the Assad administration.

On Sunday, al-Sharaa's General Command published a decree listing 49 individuals who will assume key military roles. The announcement, shared on Telegram, is the first of its kind since the Assad government fell on December 8. The statement noted that the appointments are part of efforts toward "the development and modernization of the military... in order to guarantee security and stability."

Read more: Syrians remain concerned about extremist factions within HTS: VOA

The new list includes former opposition members, particularly from al-Sharaa's Islamist-led group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), as well as ex-military officers who defected during the early stages of the war on Syria. HTS, originally an offshoot of al-Qaeda, has sought to rebrand itself in recent years while maintaining its stronghold in Idlib.

Syria's new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, issues the first military decision promoting 50 officers in the factions, including two promoted to the rank of major general, including the Minister of Defense, Marhaf Ahmed Abu Qasra, who is tasked with submitting proposals to establish the… pic.twitter.com/Om3VyaEv3q

— Ibrahim Hamidi ابراهيم حميدي (@ibrahimhamidi) December 29, 2024

HTS dominates key roles

Speaking to AFP, Haid Haid, a consulting fellow at Chatham House, noted that "the top seven highest ranks of those promoted seem to be all from HTS." Among them is HTS's military chief, Murhaf Abu Qasra, who has been named a general and is reportedly being considered for the position of defense minister in the transitional government.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor based in the UK, revealed that many of the appointees are close allies of al-Sharaa, including at least six foreigners. These include fighters from Albania, Jordan, Turkiye, Tajikistan, and a Uyghur associated with the Turkistan Islamic Party.

"HTS has been able to position its members, as well as those who are close to it, to be the ones leading the defense ministry, the future army, as well as the ones leading the restructuring of this army," Haid explained.

The decree also promoted two individuals to the rank of general, five to brigadier general, and approximately 40 to colonel.

Read more: Syria's new leadership asserts strategic alliance with Russia

Promise of broader representation

In an interview with Saudi-owned Al Arabiya, al-Sharaa acknowledged that HTS members and their allies currently dominate government positions but pledged "broader participation" in the future. The Syrian Observatory corroborated that most of the appointments were from HTS or affiliated factions, with a small number from allied groups.

Aymenn al-Tamimi, an expert on jihadist groups, confirmed to AFP the inclusion of foreigners on the list, including a Jordanian, a Uyghur, and a Turkish fighter who led a faction of Turkish fighters under HTS and is now a brigadier general.

Western leaders, in particular Europe, have expressed more concern over HTS's potential to maintain Syria's ties with Russia.