Two Druze factions announce their desire to join the new Syrian army

Two Druze factions from Suwayda Governorate in southern Syria expressed on Monday their willingness to join the new Syrian army after Bashar al-Assad was removed from power last month.

The two factions said in a joint statement, “We announce in the Men of Dignity Movement and the Mountain Brigade, the two largest military factions in Suwayda, our full readiness to integrate into a military body to be a nucleus for joining under the umbrella of a new national army whose goal is to protect Syria.”

They added that they categorically reject “any factional or sectarian army that uses a tool in the hands of the authorities to suppress the people, as was the case with Bashar al-Assad’s army.”

The two factions continued, “As military factions, we have no intentions or roles in administrative or political affairs,” calling for “activating civil and political action in a participatory manner that puts people at the center of priorities.”