Syria might integrate thousands of foreign fighters into its ranks under a new agreement, Reuters reported Monday. That possibility is being watched with interest in the region and also in the US and China.
The US has green-lighted the decision, which could lead to former fighters joining Syria’s new army, according to Levant24, an independent Syrian news site.
The Syrian army is growing every day and taking shape. The 56th Division had a graduation ceremony over the weekend for new trainees. It took place near Hama, one of Syria’s four largest cities. In addition, the 70th Division now contains elements of the US-backed Syrian Free Army that had been based at Tanf in southern Syria.
There are some controversies regarding the appointments to the new army. The new commander of the 86th Division operating in Deir Ezzor is a man named Ahmed al-Hayes, who previously was involved in human-rights abuses against Kurds.
As many as 3,500 foreign fighters, who some label “jihadists,” will be integrated into the 84th Division of the new Syrian army, according to recent reports.
These fighters include Uyghurs who came to Syria as volunteers during the civil war. They are mainly from China or other Turkish-speaking areas. They are reputed to be members of the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP). This group is banned by China and viewed as terrorists by Beijing.
TIP leader Abu Muhammad al-Turkistani received the rank of brigadier-general and command of the 133rd Division back in December 2024 when the new Syrian government was just taking shape after the fall of the Assad regime, the reports said.
“Abu Muhammad al-Turkistani” is a nom de guerre that means “father of Muhammad the Turkistani.” It’s not his real name.
Tom Barrack, the new US envoy to Syria, is said to support this development.
“The US has endorsed a Syrian government plan to absorb thousands of former rebel and foreign fighters, many of whom once fought against the Assad regime, into the country’s restructured national army,” The New Arab, a London based news site, reported, citing the Reuters report.
The plan is supposed to be transparent. It would shift from previous beliefs that one of the US conditions for sanctions relief in Syria and for increasing engagement was that Syria would likely need to remove any foreign extremist fighters.
Uyghur fighters cannot return to China
The issue facing these particular fighters is that they can’t go back to China. This isn’t the same as a volunteer from Turkey or from Europe who helped in the Syrian civil war.
These men can’t return home, so any expulsion of them would mean they would end up being someone else’s problem, probably Turkey’s. The US doesn’t want Turkey having this burden either.
Barrack is the US ambassador to Turkey, so this makes sense. These men could be integrated transparently into the new Syrian army alongside other Syrians.
This would dilute them as a group and possibly moderate them. Then they could be professionalized in the new army and serve in its institutions, thus reducing their presence as a unit.
“Washington [had previously demanded] that the new Syrian leadership, formed after rebel groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) ousted Bashar al-Assad last year, bar foreign fighters from national security institutions,” The New Arab reported. “But that stance appears to have softened following Trump’s Middle East tour last month.”
Syria’s government, part of which is made up of former leaders in Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which itself was viewed as an extremist group in the past, have wanted to keep these foreign fighters in Syria. They appreciate the loyalty of these men.
“Many of these fighters arrived in Syria in the early years of the civil war, joining jihadist groups like HTS and ISIS in their battle against Assad, who was backed by Iranian and Russian forces,” The New Arab reported.
They were forged in battle to play a key role in HTS, including its elite units. There may be as many as 5,000 foreign fighters still in Syria, according to reports. Many of them now have families, bringing the total number linked to them to some 15,000 or more.
The new move could strain Syria-China ties. Syria can afford to do this because it has more support from the US, as well as Turkey and Qatar, who are both US allies.
Syria doesn’t need to rely on China or Russia or non-Western powers as much because it has received the endorsement of the Trump administration. The US now has more say in what happens in Damascus and can ask for transparency regarding integrating the foreign fighters.
This is precisely the reason that key US officials have sought to engage with Syria. Others have encouraged the US to move more slowly.
Nevertheless, it is clear that Syria wants to move fast, and if the US isn’t going to be there for Damascus, it will continue to move forward. The US engagement enables influence.
For instance, reports from Syria said a border crossing with Lebanon is opening this week. “General Authority for Land and Sea Ports announced Tuesday the reopening of Al-Arida border crossing, which connects northern Lebanon to southwestern Syria, linking Tartous and Tripoli governorates,” Syrian state media reported.