The leader of the Syrian rebels who ousted President Bashar Al-Assad last month was appointed as the country’s interim president on Wednesday.
Ahmad Al-Sharaa, a former rebel leader with ties to Al-Qaeda, heads the group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States.
His appointment came after the former insurgents annulled the existing Constitution, stating that a new one would be drafted soon.
The announcement was made by the spokesperson for the newly established military operations sector of Syria’s de facto government, Colonel Hassan Abdul Ghani, according to the state news agency SANA.
Al-Sharaa was expected to appear in a televised speech following the meeting but did not do so immediately, leaving it unclear whether he would.
The exact mechanism by which he was chosen as interim president was also unclear.
Al-Sharaa, previously known as Abu Mohammed Al-Jolani, led the rapid offensive that ousted Assad in early December.
The United States had previously offered a $10 million reward for Al-Sharaa’s capture, but revoked it last month after an American delegation visited Damascus and met with him.
While Western countries have moved to restore ties with Damascus following Assad’s overthrow, they remain somewhat cautious toward Syria’s new Islamic rulers.
