DAMASCUS Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa said in an interview released yesterday  that “thousands” of people were joining the country’s new army following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad and the dissolution of his military.

“I did not impose mandatory conscription in Syria. Instead, I opted for voluntary enlistment, and today, thousands are joining the new Syrian army,” Sharaa told “The Rest is Politics” podcast, hosted by Alastair Campbell, former spokesman for British leader Tony Blair, and Rory Stewart, an ex-Conservative minister.

Since the fall of longtime ruler Assad in December, Syria’s authorities have dissolved the former military and security services, and have set up centres for personnel who served under the ousted government to settle their status. In the Syrian civil war’s early years, experts said a combination of casualties, defections and draft-dodging saw the military lose around half of its 300,000-strong force. It was propped up by support from Assad allies Russia and Iran, as well as fighters from Iran-backed groups, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

But as that support faltered, the military effectively collapsed in the face of November’s rebel advance, led by Sharaa’s Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

 – Nampa/AFP