Ahmad al-Sharaa Named Interim President of Post-Assad Syria

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Ahmad al-Sharaa, the leader of Syrian rebels who recently overthrew President Bashar Assad, has been appointed as the country's interim president, according to the state-run SANA news agency. The announcement follows a meeting of former insurgent factions in Damascus, where they also canceled the existing constitution, originally adopted in 2012, indicating plans to draft a new charter.

Colonel Hassan Abdul Ghani, spokesperson for Syria’s new military operations sector, stated that all armed factions would be disbanded and absorbed into state institutions. Al-Sharaa, previously known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, is the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an Islamist group once affiliated with al-Qaida but has since distanced itself from those ties. He has pledged to promote pluralism, tolerance, and protect the rights of women and minorities.

Despite al-Sharaa's rise, questions remain concerning the integration of diverse rebel groups and the autonomy of Kurdish forces in northern Syria, which were not involved in the recent faction meeting. The process of rebuilding Syria after the civil war is expected to require international support, as emphasized by Asaad al-Shibani, Syria’s new foreign minister.

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