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The decisionÌýby Syria's interim authorities to grant a slew of senior military ranks to leaders of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) and its allied factions, including non-Syrians, has sparked a wave of criticism and discontent - especially from former Syrian army officers who defected from the now deposed regime's forces during the early years of the Syrian revolution.

Criticism has centred heavily on the granting of military ranks to foreign HTS fighters, with some also questioning HTS-leader-turned de facto ruler of Syria Ahmed al-Sharaa's right to unilaterally make the decision.

Concerns have also been raised around the competence of these fighters to hold such senior ranks, as none of them are graduates of recognised state-run institutions. Instead, they gained experience on the battlefield with various factions, where established rules and procedures adhered to by professional armies were never applied.

Action to integrate the factions involved in Syria's revolution is widely regarded as a necessary step to bring the security situation in the country under control and avoid repeating the experience of many Arab countries where cities were transformed into military garrisons and hubs of factional infighting.

However, questions have remained as to the nature of the integration, who it will include, and how it will be implemented.

For instance, though many factions fall under the umbrella of the Turkey-backed Syrian National Army (SNA), which was expected to integrate swiftly into a new military establishment built on the remnants of the regime's army, it appears the SNA has been excluded from any communication with the new administration, according to a on 23 December.

Military titles for HTS leaders

Decision "No.8", ÌýSunday on the Telegram account of Sharaa's General Command, listed 49 people to be "promoted" to the ranks of Major-General, Brigadier General, and Colonel, as part of "developing and modernising the Syrian army".

Among those listed was the commander of HTS' military wing and recently appointed Minister of Defence in the transitional government, Murhaf Abu Qasra, who received the rank of Major-General.

Three ex-officers who defected from the Syrian army during the war were included in the list, as were multiple HTS commanders and those from other factions.

Non-Syrians awarded military ranks include Abdul Samriz Bashari (Albanian), Alaa Mohammed Abdul Baqi (Egyptian) and Ibnian Ahmed al-Hariri (Jordanian), who were granted the rank of Colonel. Rahman Hussein al-Khatib (Jordanian), Omar Mohammed Jaftchi (Turkish) and Abdul Aziz Dawoud Khodabardi (from the Turkistani minority in China) were granted the rank of Brigadier General.

Some Syrian officer defectors who formerly held high ranks and have extensive military experience, and who were expected to be at the core of reorganising a new Syrian army, view the new promotions as a message that the new administration plans to rely on field commanders from the rebel factions to shape a unified national army for the country.

However, they say rebuilding the army will need academic expertise which these field commanders lack - most of whom are from civilian backgrounds - despite their military and combat experience during the Syrian war.

AnÌýSNA commander,Ìýwho preferred to remain anonymous, toldÌýAl-Araby Al-Jadeed, °®Âþµº's Arabic-language sister edition, that Sharaa didn't have powers to grant military ranks.

"This should solely lie within the powers of the president […] after a constitution has been drafted and elections have been held," he added.

He expressed his "surprise" that "military ranks had been granted to foreigners in the army of a country they don't yet hold the nationality of" officially or legally.

He also pointed out that the Chief of Staff in any army "should be a graduate of a recognised military academy" and noted that the military college opened by Ahmed al-Sharaa in Idlib is not recognised at all.

Defected Colonel and military analyst Fayez al-Asmar says the list of promotions was a sensitive issue for the Syrian public.

He explained that there were thousands of defected officers "including brigadiers, colonels, and other ranks, who should have been acknowledged by the new leadership and relied upon when it came to the new army, in recognition of the hardships they endured and the risks they took in exposing themselves and their families to the brutal vengeance of Bashar Al-Assad's regime. Moreover, their defections caused a serious rift in Assad's army and weakened it".

He said the new military leaders - including its land, maritime and air forces - should be academics and graduates of military colleges capable of handling the task of restructuring the army.

"The organisation and combat methods of the revolutionary factions differ deeply from the work of a professional, institutional, hierarchical army," he added.

While he acknowledged it was "fine for the Minister of Defence to be a civilian", he believes the army's Chief of Staff and all military commanders "should exclusively be officers".

Around 5,000 officers are believed to have defected from the Syrian army during the war. Some have remained outside military activities for years, while others joined various factions, playing a role in the many fierce battles that the country witnessed over nearly 12 years.

Guaranteeing the loyalty of the factions

Military expert Diaa Qaddour believes granting some foreign fighters military ranks is a way to "honour them for standing by the Syrian revolution and making enormous sacrifices that deserve recognition".

He doesn't think "granting military ranks to foreign commanders will impact the independence of Syria's [new] military body and its decision-making" and believes that as the country is facing severe security challenges, "it's vital to adopt an inclusive policy that strengthens national unity and ensures the loyalty of all the factions to the transitional government".

Rashid Hourani, a military researcher at the JusoorÌýCentre for Studies, points out that "many countries around the world rely on foreign experts from various fields, including military, without allowing them to divert any institution away from its national course".

He believes the decision won't affect the reconstruction of Syria's new army, and says the individuals could play a role "in training the new Syrian army in new combat methods, as they have extensive military experience and skills from fighting on the battlefield for over a decade".

For his part, defected Syrian Brigadier General MustafaÌýal-Farhat describes the promotions as "in line with the direction of this administration".

In his view, the issue is that "the current leadership won't accept the presence of anyone in the new army who was part of the ousted regime's forces - so there will be challenges securing the necessary human resources to build a complete army".

In light of Syria's situation, with the country facing acute challenges - exacerbated by Israel having destroyed most of the Syrian army's capabilities - Farhat believes the new administration is required to make decisions, "including granting senior military ranks to civilians and foreigners who stood with the Syrian people in their revolution".

This is an edited translation from our Arabic edition. To read the original article click here.

Translated by Rose ChackoÌý Ìý

This article is taken from our Arabic sister publication, Al-Araby Al Jadeed and mirrors the source's original editorial guidelines and reporting policies. Any requests for correction or comment will be forwarded to the original authorsÌýand editors.

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