What happened
Syria's army, which includes former ISIS and al-Qaeda members, is set to take over counterterrorism operations following the US withdrawal from Iraq. The Syrian Democratic Forces' Anti-Terrorism Units and International Coalition forces have conducted joint raids targeting senior ISIS terrorists. However, analysts have warned that Damascus cannot be trusted to protect the Kurds due to its army's composition of former Islamic extremists.
The Syrian army is built around Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the successor to al-Nusrah, which has been described as al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria. The army has also incorporated foreign jihadists, including former members of the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP), a group designated as a terrorist organization by Beijing. The US has removed the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) from the Terrorist Exclusion List, but still lists it as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.
The integration of former jihadists into the Syrian army has raised concerns about the country's ability to prevent an ISIS resurgence. The US has required no enforceable commitments to protect minorities and has set no prohibition on integrating jihadists into the new military. The Foundation for Defense of Democracies has urged Washington to pressure Damascus to remove or demote foreign fighters in its security forces, particularly members of US-designated terrorist organizations.
The Syrian army has a history of fighting the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Washington's former key partner against ISIS. The army's absorption of the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) into its military has also raised concerns about human rights abuses, including unlawful killings, abductions, torture, and property seizures.
