Major General Marhaf Abu Qasra.. Who is the Minister of Defense in the new Syrian government?

The General Command of the Syrian Arab Republic, represented by Ahmad al-Sharaa, announced today, Tuesday, the appointment of Major General Marhaf Abu Qasra as Minister of Defense in the new government. Abu Qasra, known by the nicknames "Abu al-Hassan al-Hamawi" and "Abu al-Hassan 600", previously held the position of commander of the military wing of "Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham", and was one of its first-rank leaders.

Abu Qasra holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering from Damascus University, and had worked in his field before the outbreak of the Syrian revolution. As the conflict escalated, he used his engineering expertise to support Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, emerging as one of its field leaders.

Abu Qasra was born in 1983 in the city of Halfaya in the northern Hama countryside. He became famous for his role as an engineer of military capabilities in the organization, where he led most of the military operations in its areas of influence.

Sources from Halfaya confirmed to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that Marhaf Abu Qasra had formed the “Asfoura Battalions” with Muhammad Asfoura in the city of Halfaya at the beginning of the outbreak of the Syrian revolution. These battalions joined “Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham” (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra) in 2013, when the front began to appear in northern Syria.

This appointment came after the decision of the General Command of the Army and Armed Forces, issued last Sunday, which bore the number (8), granting military ranks to a number of military leaders participating in the "Deterrence of Aggression" operations room. The decision, signed by Commander-in-Chief Ahmed Al-Sharaa, confirmed that these promotions came to achieve the highest standards of efficiency and organization in the army.

Major General Marhaf Abu Qasra was one of the names recently promoted to the rank of major general. Al-Sharaa, formerly known as “Abu Muhammad al-Julani,” confirmed during his meetings with the leaders of the military factions that all the factions will be merged into a single institution under the management of the Ministry of Defense in the new Syrian army, with the aim of unifying the military forces within an institutional framework that enhances national security and stability.

In return for granting military ranks to leaders from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, officers who defected from the ousted regime forces during the revolution were expected to form the nucleus of the new Syrian army, especially since some of them held high ranks when they defected and had military experience, particularly in the field of organization. However, the new promotions were a message that the new administration would rely on field commanders who fought in battles during the years of the revolution, in forming a single national army for the country.

Although these leaders gained extensive military and combat experience during the years of the revolution, and were able to lead the factions to overthrow the regime on December 8, many of the defecting officers have reservations about the decision, especially since building a new army requires academic experience that the field commanders lack, most of whom have civilian backgrounds.

Source: Al-Araby Al-Jadeed