Syrian rebels name Mohammed al-Bashir head of transitional government

The Syrian rebels now in power in Damascus appointed Mohammed al-Bashir as head of a transitional government that will be in place until March 1, state media said on Tuesday, December 10.

"The general command has tasked us with running the transitional government until March 1," said a statement attributed to Bashir on state television's Telegram account, referring to him as "the new Syrian prime minister."

On Sunday, the rebels led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) seized the capital Damascus in a lightning offensive, toppling President Bashar al-Assad who fled the country.

Bashir told Al Jazeera in a televised interview Tuesday that his country needed peace and stability after nearly 14 years of war. "Now it is time for this people to enjoy stability and calm," Bashir told the Qatari media outlet in his first interview after being appointed.

Before being tapped for the role, Bashir had been head of the rebels' so-called Salvation Government in northwest Syria and previously held the role of its development minister.

The Salvation Government, with its own ministries, departments, judicial and security authorities, was set up in the Idlib bastion in 2017 to assist people in the rebel-held area people cut off from government services. It has since begun rolling out assistance in Aleppo, the first major city to fall from government hands after the rebels began their offensive.

The Biden administration said Tuesday it will recognize and support a new Syrian government that renounces terrorism, destroys chemical weapons stocks and protects the rights of minorities and women.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the future government of Syria should be "credible, inclusive and non-sectarian" after Islamist rebels toppled strongman Assad, a member of the Alawite minority who led a secular dictatorship.

Laying out US priorities, Blinken said the new government must "uphold clear commitments to fully respect the rights of minorities" and allow the flow of humanitarian assistance. The United States wanted the next government to "prevent Syria from being used as a base for terrorism", he added.

Although they no longer hold any territory in Syria, the jihadists of the Islamic State group remain active.