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Syrian rebel factions agree to merge under Ministry of Defense

Syria

Photo: Associated Press

The new leader of Syria, Ahmed dal-Sharaa, has reached an agreement with the former leaders of the rebel factions to disband all the groups and merge them under the Ministry of Defense.

Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir had said that the ministry would be reconstructed using former rebel factions and those who defeated Bashar al-Assad's army.

Sharaa will do this by trying to avoid clashes between groups, Reuters reported. 

The new leaders chose Murhaf Abu Qasran, a key figure in the uprising that ousted Bashar al-Assad, as defense minister in the interim government.

Syrian rebels took control of Damascus on December 8, forcing the former president to flee the country after more than 13 years of civil war and ending the decades-long rule of the Assad family.