Rany Ballout
The United States has now lifted all sanctions on Syria, except on some individuals and entities associated with the former Assad regime. Additionally, the United States has revoked the foreign terrorist organization designation for Syria’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). This comes after Washington approved the Syrian leadership’s plan to incorporate thousands of foreign jihadists into the new Syrian army, dropping its longstanding demand that the new leadership deport or detain foreign fighters.
Yet, the issue of foreign fighters—excluding the thousands of ISIS affiliates currently detained in Syria—has since stirred significant debate both domestically and internationally, with speculations over many prospects from the potential resurging global jihadism to weakening Syria’s national unity with limited representation of its diverse communities to undermining Syria’s fragile process of rebuilding government institutions.
What explains this marked shift in US policy? When asked about the decision, US Envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, cited “transparency” in the integration process as a key condition for the decision, referencing Washington’s understanding of Syria’s new dynamics. On June 26, Barrack said that US policy in Syria is focused on fighting ISIS and countering Iran-backed militias. Under the Syrian plan, some 3,500 foreign fighters, mainly Muslim Uyghurs from China and neighbouring countries, would be integrated into a newly formed unit.
Notably, in December 2024, an official decree by the HTS-led government announced the promotion of 49 officers, six of whom were foreign fighters, to high-ranking military positions. Syria’s Interim President, Ahmed al-Shara (formerly known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Jolani based on his former membership in Al Qaeda), justified these promotions as a recognition of their battlefield sacrifices.
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