Al Shara revamps Syria's security structure with new units under control of HTS figures

New system assigns individual responsibility for governorates and sectors

Syrian government security forces stand guard in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana. AFP

Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara has made major organisational changes to the state security apparatus while keeping his associates firmly in control of the system.

The restructuring of responsibilities under the Interior Ministry is the first overhaul of domestic security since former president Bashar Al Assad was toppled at the end of last year by an offensive led by Mr Al Shara's Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS) group.

"The bygone regime had made the security [sector] into a tool for repression and terror," Interior Ministry spokesman Noureddin Al Baba said while announcing the changes on Saturday. He said the revamp would contribute to Syria's "prosperity".

The new structure approved by Mr Al Shara will have six deputies under Interior Minister Anas Khattab, and 14 provincial commanders, each responsible for one of Syria's governorates, he said. Mr Khattab is a long-time comrade of Mr Al Shara.

Most of the appointees to the new positions were part of HTS or were closely associated with the group as it rose to dominate the armed opposition to Mr Al Assad in the last decade of his rule. Their names were officially announced on Saturday.

Mr Khattab played a central role in the formation of Al Nusra Front, a forerunner of HTS which was Al Qaeda's subsidiary in Syria until Mr Al Shara broke off ties with the terror group in 2016. Both Mr Al Shara and Mr Khattab are still sanctioned by the UN.

Under the Assad regime, the interior minister competed with usually more powerful chiefs of various security branches. The security responsibility for each province was also vague, to keep different players in the system in competition with each other and vying for the president's favour.

The most well-known of Mr Khattab's six deputies is Abdulqader Al Tahhan, whose portfolio is "security affairs", implying wide responsibility. Mr Al Tahhan headed security in Idlib, the northern governorate from where HTS led the rebel offensive that toppled the Assad regime on December 8. The responsibilities of the other five deputies are police, civil affairs, legal affairs, technology and human resources.

Under the new structure, there will be a new Interior Ministry division in charge of communications networks and cyber security, which were the purview of separate intelligence branches under the former regime.

A new border management unit was also created. Military Intelligence, headed by Mr Al Assad's brother Maher Al Assad, controlled Syria's borders before December 8. A Special Tasks Department has been also formed, to deal with riots and hostage-taking and to be in charge of security at major events.

Mr Al Shara has been deploying security personnel to spread the reach of the new, HTS-dominated government. However, large areas of eastern Syria, the centre of the country's oil production, remain out of his control. Sectarian killings, particularly of Alawites, have also been taking place in areas controlled by government troops and allied militia.

In the last several weeks, the new authorities have also launched operations against ISIS in and around cities. Officials say members of the group have infiltrated some urban areas. US President Donald Trump asked Mr Al Shara to join the US anti-terrorism efforts during their meeting in Saudi Arabia earlier this month, the White House said.

The Interior Ministry said on Monday that anti-terrorism units had arrested several members of ISIS during raids against cells of the group in suburbs to the south and west of Damascus. Rocket launchers, explosives and suicide vests were also seized, according an official statement.