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Military promotions reveal foreign influence.. "Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham" grants ranks to non-Syrians
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Military promotions of non-Syrian elements reflect extremist organizations' continued approach of relying on foreign fighters to strengthen their military and political influence
The General Command of the Syrian Armed Forces, through the Defense Ministry of the interim government formed by Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, began issuing promotion decisions on Sunday that reveal the extent of foreign influence in the new Syrian military institution.
Official statement number (8) carried clear indications of institutionalizing the presence of foreign fighters by granting them high military ranks, under the guise of what the statement described as "achieving efficiency and organizational standards" and serving what it called "religion and homeland."
The list of those promoted to brigadier general included several non-Syrian leaders, most notably the Jordanian fighter Abdul Rahman Hussein al-Khatib known as "Abu Hussein al-Urduni," the Turkistani leader Abdul Aziz Dawood Khodaberdi nicknamed "Abu Muhammad Turkistan," in addition to the Turkish fighter Omar Muhammad Çiftçi known as "Mukhtar al-Turki."
The list of promotions to colonel rank revealed a larger number of foreign elements, with names clearly indicating non-Syrian nationalities, such as Mawlan Tursun Abdul Samad, Abdul Samriz Yashari, and Saifuddin Mamur Muhammad Tajili, names carrying clear Turkish and Asian connotations.
It's worth noting that the phenomenon of foreign fighters in Syria emerged since the beginning of events, where extremist organizations, particularly Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham and Al-Qaeda, attracted thousands of fighters from various countries worldwide.
The new military promotion decision reveals a qualitative shift in Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham's strategy, as it seeks to give an official and institutional character to these fighters' presence by integrating them into the official military structure of the armed forces.
This approach has raised fears of Syria becoming an open arena for cross-border organizations, especially with granting high leadership positions to non-Syrian elements, in a move reminiscent of Al-Qaeda's practices in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The issuance of promotion decisions coincided with reports about the continued influx of foreign fighters to Syria, especially from Central Asian and North African countries, in a phenomenon that raises concern for the international community and neighboring countries.
The statement approved the implementation of these promotions beginning next year, signed by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham leader Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, in a move reflecting the organization's effort to consolidate its control over the Syrian military institution through a network of cross-border loyalties.
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