Concern is growing that Syria’s transitional government, led by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS), is giving formal government roles to Islamist extremists, after foreign fighters were among nearly 50 top military appointments at the weekend.
Interim Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra, who led the military wing of HTS, is restructuring the ministry to absorb former rebel factions who fought against former president Bashar Al Assad's regime – and sometimes each other – during the country's civil war. On the face of it, it is an attempt to rebuild a formal security force and rein in armed groups, but the move carries significant risks.
Mr Abu Qasra has promoted militants including Abdulsalam Yasin Ahmad, deputy head of the Turkistan Islamic Party. The faction called for global violence in a video released following the toppling of the Assad regime, despite HTS’s insistence that it has no plans for transnational attacks.
Abdul Jashari, an Albanian who leads Xhemati Alban, a small group of extremists from the Balkans that is a US-designated terrorist group, is among those promoted.
An interim administration is being set up by HTS, which remains designated as a terrorist organisation by the US, Europe and the UN. Its forerunner organisation, Jabhat Al Nusra, once Al Qaeda’s branch in Syria, was also considered a terror group under UN Resolution 2254 in 2015.
Abdul Jashari, an Albanian who leads a group of extremists from the Balkans that is a US-designated terrorist group, is among those promoted
With an array of allied militias, the group toppled Mr Al Assad's government on December 8, in a lightning offensive across the country that saw demoralised and underpaid government forces rapidly crumble. Many observers of the 13-year civil war believed the conflict had frozen following a failed 2020 de-escalation agreement involving Mr Al Assad's regime, Turkey and Russia in the north.
Western powers say HTS's terror designation could be removed, opening the door to reconstruction funding, if the group stays true to promises made by its leader Ahmad Al Shara, formerly known as Abu Mohammed Al Jawlani. Near-term benchmarks will include a new constitution and a road map to elections.
Bands of HTS fighters, operating under the General Security Forces, have been trying to keep order in the war-ravaged country, amid widespread reports of retaliatory killings against figures linked to the former regime, including units accused of atrocities and drug smuggling, such as the Fourth Division.
Some of the attacks have been blamed on HTS, while other reports claim former regime figures are sowing disorder. Clouding the jubilation that followed Mr Al Assad's ousting, looting and theft have also been reported in many areas as criminals seek to exploit a potential power vacuum.
Daily reports are emerging of communities taking up arms to protect themselves. Thousands of men are currently being recruited into ministry of interior security forces, but the interim government appears to be in a race against time to stem further disorder.
A major problem, according to Sam Heller, an expert on Syria and fellow at the Century Foundation, is that HTS lacks the manpower to enforce law and order across the country. Toppling Mr Al Assad's weak forces was widely thought to involve operations totalling little more than 30,000 men. Some factions could muster only a few thousand fighters.
This means that even if Mr Al Shara can appease or rein in the most extreme fighters, other militants could exploit the chaos or clash with each other.
"I wouldn't put it past Jawlani and HTS to attempt to manage this in a smart way, as they did during their rise, but their means are limited. The kind of relative success that they achieved previously was just on a much smaller scale in Idlib, in a more contained, easily controlled space," Mr Heller told The National.
During their meteoric ascent in northern Syria, the group became adept at co-opting or violently crushing opposition forces, including figures linked to Al Qaeda – once the group broke ties – and ISIS, which the group was also linked to. But prominent militants have remained in their ranks.
"What we have seen is militants from the north-west, not just Idlib, but also north Aleppo, overrun the country. Some former opposition factions have switched allegiances again, or reactivated. Then you've got other factions that have no history of working co-operatively with HTS or submitting to its authority," Mr Heller said. This factionalism he adds, could lead to a crisis as severe as rising militancy.
Many factions now aligned to HTS have fought the group, and each other, in the past.
"There are groups like Jaish Al Islam, which has historically had very toxic relations with HTS, which has fought with them many times, which since 2018 has been bottled up in north Aleppo. Now it sounds like they are back in Douma outside Damascus, where they are much more strongly rooted locally than HTS. They may attempt to establish their authority locally."
Fears of growing chaos
Mr Al Shara has pledged that his group will respect minority religious rights and aspects of secular governance maintained under the former regime, including mixed gender schools and women's rights. He has also promised inclusive governance, a major break from the former regime that was characterised by promoting a narrow elite loyal to the Assad dynasty.
These aims seem to conflict with new appointments, including a Uighur commander from the Turkistan Islamic Party, alongside a host of Syrian HTS commanders. Earlier this month, suspected militants burnt an Alawite shrine in Aleppo, sparking widespread demonstrations. The General Security Forces denied involvement in the attack, saying it occurred in the initial chaos of the fall of the Assad regime.
The Turkistanis comprise many Uighurs who have fled from China and the group is said to have been founded in Afghanistan, according to the Counter Extremism Project think tank. Playing a key role alongside HTS’s operations, the Turkistan Islamic Party regularly carried out suicide bombings during the civil war and in 2018 praised the 2001 Al Qaeda attack on the World Trade Centre in New York.
A number of other commanders have also been promoted from groups allied to HTS, including leaders from Ahrar Al Sham, one of the biggest hardline groups in northern Syria which, like its main ally, has tried to soften its views to gain foreign support. During the civil war, the ultraconservative group insisted its struggle was solely with Mr Al Assad and that it posed no threat beyond the country’s borders.
Commanders from smaller allied groups include Jamil Al Saleh, leader of Jaish Al Izza, one of the last nationalist rebel formations in the defunct Free Syrian Army, which was once western-backed before being defeated or absorbed by radical groups.
Another promoted commander is from Harakat Nour Al Din Al Zinki, a group that was briefly supported by the US, before funding and arms were cut off amid concerns over its radical leanings. The group attracted global anger in 2016 when its fighters were filmed brutally executing a child, an incident that occurred after the US cut funds.
The military appointments come after Hadi Al Bahra, president of the National Coalition for Opposition Forces, the main Syrian opposition in exile, said his organisation had not been invited to a national dialogue announced by Mr Al Shara.
In a statement on the website of his organisation after the fall of the regime, Mr Bahra made little reference to the make-up of the interim government but said that “a free Syria fights extremism and terrorism”.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Results
2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m; Winner: AF Al Baher, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
2.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,600m; Winner: Talento Puma, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,950m; Winner: Tailor’s Row, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3.30pm: Jebel Ali Stakes Listed (TB) Dh500,000 1,950m; Winner: Mark Of Approval, Patrick Cosgrave, Mahmood Hussain.
4pm: Conditions (TB) Dh125,000 1,400m; Winner: Dead-heat Raakez, Jim Crowley, Nicholas Bachalard/Attribution, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.30pm: Jebel Ali Sprint (TB) Dh500,000 1,000m; Winner: AlKaraama, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,200m; Winner: Wafy, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
5.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,400m; Winner: Cachao, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
WHAT%20MACRO%20FACTORS%20ARE%20IMPACTING%20META%20TECH%20MARKETS%3F
%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Looming%20global%20slowdown%20and%20recession%20in%20key%20economies%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Russia-Ukraine%20war%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Interest%20rate%20hikes%20and%20the%20rising%20cost%20of%20debt%20servicing%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Oil%20price%20volatility%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Persisting%20inflationary%20pressures%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Exchange%20rate%20fluctuations%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Shortage%20of%20labour%2Fskills%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20A%20resurgence%20of%20Covid%3F%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Awar Qalb
Director: Jamal Salem
Starring: Abdulla Zaid, Joma Ali, Neven Madi and Khadija Sleiman
Two stars
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eamana%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2010%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Karim%20Farra%20and%20Ziad%20Aboujeb%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERegulator%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDFSA%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinancial%20services%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E85%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESelf-funded%3Cbr%3E%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
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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PRISCILLA
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