In a significant development, former Syrian regime security forces have been voluntarily handing in their weapons to the rebel-linked transitional government in the southern Syrian city of Latakia. Video footage captured by Agence France-Presse shows men dressed in plain clothes waiting in long lines to surrender their personal firearms to officials from the new Syrian government's Ministry of Interior. The officials are seen conducting informal interviews and taking mugshots of the individuals as they turn in their weapons, with hundreds of handguns and ammunition piled up in the government office.
The new leadership in Syria, led by the group Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS), is actively working towards a peaceful transfer of power and seeking international legitimacy. Mohammad Al-Bashir, a Syrian rebel-linked government leader, has been appointed as the caretaker prime minister for the next three months to oversee the country's transition to a new government.
