HTS-led authorities appoint al-Qaeda operative as Syria's new spy chief

Authorities led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militant group have appointed Anas Hassan Khattab as Syria's new spy chief amid a desperate attempt by the administration to tighten its grip on power across the Arab country. 

The appointment of a new intelligence chief was stated in a Thursday statement by the so-called command of the united forces of the armed opposition, which established control over Syria in early December.

The appointment was part of efforts to restructure Syria’s state institutions following the fall of President Bashar al-Assad's government, the statement read.

Khattab has been one of the leaders of the Syrian terrorist group Jabhat al-Nusra banned by the UN and several countries.

On September 23, 2014, the UN Security Council included him in the sanctions list for his links with the international terrorist group al-Qaeda.

Khattab, according to the UN, maintained regular contact with the leadership of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, helping to organize the financing of the Syrian group, as well as its supply of weapons.

On December 10, the new HTS-led authorities in Syria appointed Mohammed al-Bashir as head of their interim administration.

Commenting on his appointment, the new militant prime minister said that the transition period in the country will last until March one next year.

Al-Bashir previously administered the territories that were under the control of the militants in the Syrian province of Idlib.

In late November, HTS-led armed groups launched a large-scale offensive in the provinces of Idlib and Aleppo.

On December 8, they entered Damascus, after which government forces withdrew from the capital city.

The developments come as the situation remains very fluid and fragile across Syria, with potential risk for further clashes as sectarian sentiments continue to boil over amid the ongoing political instability and pressures on minority groups.

A series of demonstrations erupted across Syria over militants’ desecration of an Alawite shrine in Aleppo, with armed groups belonging to HTS opening fire on protesters.

Tens of thousands took to the streets in Latakia, Tartus, Homs, Hama, and Qardaha on Wednesday, resulting in violent confrontations.

Protesters came out after a video was circulated on social networks showing a fire inside the shrine of Sheikh Abu Abdullah al-Hussein al-Khasibi in Aleppo, with armed men walking inside and killing the guards of the shrine, an incident that has drawn strong condemnation from the Alawite minority.

How ex-Daesh and al-Qaeda leader al-Jolani became West’s blue-eyed boy in Syria

From being a trusted aide of Daesh and al-Qaeda leaders to heading the HTS militant group that has taken control of Syria, we look at the journey of Mohammed al-Jolani.

According to reports from local sources, the protests were spread after armed individuals opened fire on protesters in Homs, resulting in the death of one person and injury of five others.

Since March 2011, Syria has been gripped by a campaign of militancy and destruction sponsored by the US and its allies.

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