Western powers reportedly warned Syria over foreign jihadists in army

US, French and German envoys have warned Syria’s new Islamist rulers that their appointment of foreign jihadists to senior military posts is a security concern and bad for their image as they try to forge ties with foreign states, two sources familiar with the matter say.

The warning from the US, part of Western efforts to get Syria’s new leaders to reconsider the move, was delivered in a meeting between US envoy Daniel Rubinstein and Syria’s de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa on Wednesday at the presidential palace overlooking Damascus, a US official says.

“These appointments will not help them with their reputation in the US,” the official says.

The foreign ministers of France and Germany, Jean-Noel Barrot and Annalena Baerbock, also broached the issue of foreign fighters drafted into the army during their meeting with Sharaa on Jan. 3, an official aware of the talks says.

Reuters reported the appointments on Dec. 30. The envoys’ comments on the appointments have not previously been reported.

Sharaa’s armed group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, led an offensive that ousted former president Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8 and has since installed a government and disbanded the Assad-era army. It is now making efforts to reconstitute the armed forces.