Exclusive: Syria’s Defense Ministry engages over 60 armed groups to reform military identity

Shafaq News/ On Friday, Syria’s Ministry of Defense disclosed that it has held meetings with representatives from more than 60 armed groups as part of efforts to consolidate weapons under state control.

In an exclusive response to questions by Shafaq News, the Defense Ministry’s media office addressed concerns about armed groups refusing integration, the unification of military uniforms, the opening of recruitment, and the handling of weapons left by the Al-Assad regime.

“The Ministry of Defense has conducted meetings with over 60 Syrian factions, all of which have shown readiness to work institutionally within the framework of the Ministry,” the office stated.

The ministry added that these factions have begun providing detailed statistics regarding their weapons, personnel numbers, specialties, and ranks. “This data will be used to assess their capacities and finalize promotions and appointments before moving toward a general recruitment phase.”

“So far, no faction has declined to join the Ministry of Defense,” the media office emphasized.

Regarding military uniforms, the office noted, “The unified military attire is part of the official identity of the army, which is currently under development and will align with the state’s identity.”

On the possibility of opening recruitment, the ministry clarified, “Increasing personnel is inevitable, but it is premature to discuss this step as it will follow the completion of the ongoing assessments and the approval of new military units.”

The ministry confirmed that all factions expressed a willingness to cooperate and announced the initiation of reforms to define the new identity of the Syrian army.

Notably, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Commander Mazloum Abdi announced in Wednesday that his forces would integrate into a restructured Syrian military, emphasizing their alignment with the new Syrian administration on the country’s future.