New Syrian transitional leader, Mohammed Al-Bashir
Syrian rebels have tasked Mohammed Al-Bashir, a former head of rebel-held northwestern Syria, with forming a transitional government, according to local television.
Al-Bashir will lead this government to manage the transition and “prevent the country from descending into chaos,” the report stated, without providing further details.
Rebels led by the hardline Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) made rapid advances last week, prompting dictator Bashar al-Assad to flee the country.
HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani arrived in the capital, Damascus, on Sunday, and later met with Assad’s prime minister and vice president to discuss forming a new government.
Al-Bashir, an engineer from Idlib, had previously served as a minister in the rebel-controlled northwestern region of Syria. Earlier this year, he was appointed the head of the government in that area, which was supported and financed by HTS .
The decision to appoint Al-Bashir followed a meeting between him, HTS leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa (al-Golani’s real name), and current prime minister Ghazi al-Jalali, according to Arabiya TV.
Al-Jolani remains the military leader and the face of HTS and is expected to play a significant role in establishing the new government.