Syria's transitional authorities have so far recruited half of a planned 200,000-man army, a Syrian military official briefed on the progress told The National.
Uniting myriad factions after the civil war, which broke out in 2011 and ended in December, is crucial for the consolidation of power by President Ahmad Al Shara, and could heal the country's fragmentation.
The leaders of Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, the group that led the rebel offensive that removed the regime of former president Bashar Al Assad last year, are aiming for a major geopolitical Middle East transformation.
Foreign fighters who were allies of HTS in the civil war have been brought into a new brigade, meeting a major US demand to contain them.
The official told The National that a 3,500-man brigade, comprising mostly foreign Uighur fighters, has been created under a commander known by the pseudonym Abu Muhammad Al Turkistani.
He owes loyalty to a more senior Uighur figure in Syria known as Abu Dajana, who has a direct line to Mr Al Shara, the official explained.
“The Uighurs and most of the foreign fighters will be given Syrian citizenship by the end of the year,” the official said, adding that the army will mostly consist of existing HTS members and factions from the civil war, rather than conscripts without military experience.
The new army also includes 30,000 members of the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army. It aims to bring in 15,000 members of the mostly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces – which is supported by the US and is in control of large parts of eastern Syria.
Mr Al Shara and SDF chief Mazloum Abdi have been discussing integrating the forces into the new army. On Tuesday, US special envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack told the Turkish NTV channel that the US will be reducing its military presence to the country from eight bases to one, a development not favourable to the SDF.
Last week, Mr Barrack, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, met Mr Al Shara in Damascus and announced that Washington would lift Syria's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism.
The Uighurs in Syria mainly came from China during the Syrian civil war. They belong to Al Qaeda-linked Turkistan Islamic Party, aligned with HTS and its forerunners.
For years, the group led HTS attacks on the Assad regime and other foes until the HTS built its own special forces comprising mostly Syrians, sources said.
The army is expected to be firmly under the control of the Syrian authorities. About two thirds of the senior commanders already appointed are HTS members, while the rest are drawn from the brigades that teamed up with the group, such as the Syrian National Army.
Salaries range from $150 to $500 and are being paid from resources under HTS control, including two telecoms companies that belonged to Mr Al Assad and his associates, the official said.
But the US decision last month to lift sanctions on Syria will help draw Arab funding, he added.
Every division will have 10,000 troops organised into five brigades − two infantry brigades, one armoured brigade, as well as a special forces and a “multi-task” brigade.
“Most brigades, bar the infantry, are still at skeleton stage,” the official said, adding the plans are being mainly drawn by Ali Noureddine Al Naasan, who Mr Al Shara appointed as army chief in January, and Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra.
Both men were close allies of Mr Al Shara during most of his transformation from a fighter in an extremist group to a President.
EMILY%20IN%20PARIS%3A%20SEASON%203
%3Cp%3ECreated%20by%3A%20Darren%20Star%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Lily%20Collins%2C%20Philippine%20Leroy-Beaulieu%2C%20Ashley%20Park%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%202.75%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
Arabian Gulf League fixtures:
Friday:
- Emirates v Hatta, 5.15pm
- Al Wahda v Al Dhafra, 5.25pm
- Al Ain v Shabab Al Ahli Dubai, 8.15pm
Saturday:
- Dibba v Ajman, 5.15pm
- Sharjah v Al Wasl, 5.20pm
- Al Jazira v Al Nasr, 8.15pm
ACC%20T20%20Women%E2%80%99s%20Championship
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20fixtures%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EFriday%2C%20June%2017%20v%20Oman%3Cbr%3ESaturday%2C%20June%2018%20v%20Singapore%3Cbr%3EMonday%2C%20June%2020%20v%20Malaysia%3Cbr%3EWednesday%2C%20June%2022%20v%20Qatar%3Cbr%3EFriday%2C%20June%2024%2C%20semi-final%3Cbr%3ESaturday%2C%20June%2025%2C%20final%3Cbr%3E%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20squad%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Chaya%20Mughal%20(captain)%2C%20Esha%20Oza%2C%20Indhuja%20Nandakumar%2C%20Kavisha%20Kumari%2C%20Khushi%20Sharma%2C%20Lavanya%20Keny%2C%20Priyanjali%20Jain%2C%20Rithika%20Rajith%2C%20Samaira%20Dharnidharka%2C%20Sanchin%20Singh%2C%20Siya%20Gokhale%2C%20Suraksha%20Kotte%2C%20Theertha%20Satish%2C%20Vaishnave%20Mahesh%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPAD%20PRO%20(12.9%22%2C%202022)
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mozn%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mohammed%20Alhussein%2C%20Khaled%20Al%20Ghoneim%2C%20Abdullah%20Alsaeed%20and%20Malik%20Alyousef%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Riyadh%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410%20million%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Raed%20Ventures%2C%20Shorooq%20Partners%2C%20VentureSouq%2C%20Sukna%20Ventures%20and%20others%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
The details
Heard It in a Past Life
Maggie Rogers
(Capital Records)
3/5
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
EU Russia
The EU imports 90 per cent of the natural gas used to generate electricity, heat homes and supply industry, with Russia supplying almost 40 per cent of EU gas and a quarter of its oil.
Petrarch: Everywhere a Wanderer
Christopher Celenza,
Reaktion Books
LOVE%20AGAIN
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Jim%20Strouse%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStars%3A%20Priyanka%20Chopra%20Jonas%2C%20Sam%20Heughan%2C%20Celine%20Dion%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
RESULT
Everton 2 Huddersfield Town 0
Everton: Sigurdsson (47'), Calvert-Lewin (73')
Man of the Match: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton)
The specs: 2018 Maxus T60
Price, base / as tested: Dh48,000
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder
Power: 136hp @ 1,600rpm
Torque: 360Nm @ 1,600 rpm
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Fuel consumption, combined: 9.1L / 100km
The%20specs
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The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic