Syria’s Jolani says rebel factions will be ‘disbanded’

Syria’s rebel factions will be “disbanded,” the head of the group that led the ouster of Bashar al-Assad has pledged, as the former president denounced the country’s new rulers as “terrorists”.

HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, now using his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa, has sought to reassure minorities at home and governments abroad that the country’s interim leaders will protect all Syrians, as well as state institutions.

Meeting Monday with members of the Druze community, he said all rebel factions would “be disbanded and the fighters trained to join the ranks of the defence ministry.”

“All will be subject to the law,” he added, according to posts on the group’s Telegram channel.

He also emphasised the need for unity in the multi-ethnic and multi-confessional country.

“Syria must remain united,” he said. “There must be a social contract between the state and all religions to guarantee social justice”