The Trump administration has endorsed a Syrian government plan to integrate former rebel and foreign fighters into the national army, The New Arab reported via Reuters on June 3rd.
US envoy Thomas Barrack stated that the US supports the initiative, providing the process remains transparent. The plan includes incorporating around 3,500 foreign fighters, mainly Uyghurs from China and Central Asia, into the Syrian Army.
They will serve alongside Syrian nationals in the newly established 84th Division. Many of these fighters had previously fought against the Assad regime and had links to armed groups such as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and ISIS.
The shift in US policy came after President Trump’s recent meeting with Syria’s new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Riyadh.
Following US support for Syria’s post-war reconstruction, US President Donald Trump met Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on May 14th in Saudi Arabia, as NBC News reported.
This marked the first high-level contact between the two nations in 25 years. Soon after, Trump announced the easing of key U.S. sanctions on Syria, confirmed by the Treasury on May 23rd, according to The New Arab. This was as a result of his ties with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who supported sanction relief.
Trump said the move aimed to rebuild Syrian-Israeli relations. He urged al-Sharaa to expel extremists and combat ISIS. While Trump showed confidence in al-Sharaa, some analysts have raised concerns over his past, reflecting divisions over Syrian policies.
NBC News, The New Arab, Reuters
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