Since the Assad regime crumbled in December 2024, the issue of foreign fighters in Syria has emerged as a major topic of debate confronting the new administration in Damascus, especially after the Ministry of Defence said it would confer military ranks upon some of them.
Ministers argue that these fighters made significant sacrifices for the liberation of the Syrian people, are loyal to the new government’s policies, pose no threat to Syria’s allies, and are too few in number to affect the overall structure of the military.
Yet in Syria, opinion is split. Some are happy for these foreign fighters to integrate into local society. Others are firmly against them having any formal role within Syria’s military or security institutions. Who are these fighters, why did they put their lives at risk, and what does the future hold for them?
Although there are no official figures, estimates suggest there are around 2,500 foreign fighters within the ranks of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)—the largest armed group in the alliance of militias that defeated the Syrian army and drove former President Bashar al-Assad from the country.
HTS had most of the foreign fighters in northwestern Syria, where the group was based for years. These fighters chose to stay with HTS after it broke from Al-Qaeda in 2016, declining to join Hurras al-Din, which became Al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate.
Ideological shift
Their decision to stay with HTS coincided with an ideological shift, marked by the adoption of locally-oriented jihadism and the abandonment of any intent to engage in combat beyond Syria’s borders. These fighters remained almost entirely committed to HTS’s policies, which emphasise non-hostility towards foreign states and focus exclusively on confronting the Syrian regime and its allies within national borders.
Foreign fighters in Syria hail from a diverse range of national backgrounds. Uyghurs (or Turkistanis) from China represent one of the largest contingents, possibly thousands, with most affiliated with HTS. Other prominent groups include Chechens, who are renowned for their combat experience, as well as Arabs from the Arabian Gulf, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco.
Other less prominent nationalities include fighters from France, the UK, and Germany (many European fighters have since returned to their home countries), plus recruits from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Albania, Iran, the Maldives, and others.
HTS's foreign fighters were distributed among various brigades and groups, either on a non-ethnic basis (such as the Egyptians or Europeans, who operate without forming independent battalions), or on an ethnic basis, including the Chechens under Ajnad al-Kavkaz (around 150 fighters) and the Uzbeks and Uyghurs (around 1,500).
Additionally, there are the Jazrawiyya, who work independently in religious advocacy and humanitarian roles (around 200 individuals), and Ansar al-Tawhid, which consists of a mix of predominantly local fighters alongside some foreign combatants, bringing the total to no more than 800 fighters.
