Syria Denies Intent to Hand Over Uighur Fighters to China

An official source from the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Monday, denied circulating news reports regarding Damascus's intention to hand over fighters belonging to the Muslim Uighur minority to China.

The source told the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA): "There is no truth to what Agence France-Presse reported about the Syrian government's intention to hand over fighters to China."

Earlier on Monday, Agence France-Presse (AFP) quoted a Syrian government source as saying that Damascus intended to hand over Uighur Muslim minority fighters to China. A diplomatic source suggested their number was around 400 fighters. The report added that the file would be raised during the visit of Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani to Beijing, and that Damascus planned to hand over the fighters in batches, "based on a Chinese request."

Uighur Fighters and Their Status in Syria

The file of foreign fighters who flocked to Syria during the war years is one of the most sensitive issues, as most of their home countries refuse to repatriate them, including the Uighur fighters.

• Background and Affiliation: Most of these fighters, who are a Turkic-speaking Muslim minority from northwestern China, belong to the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP), and were mainly active in Idlib, the stronghold of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham and its allied factions.

• Integration into the Army: Their numbers in Syria range between 3,200 and 4,000 fighters, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which stated that they were all integrated into a special unit within the new Syrian Army after Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa came to power and announced the dissolution of all military factions.

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi affirmed on Monday his country's support for peace efforts in Syria during his meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani, according to his office.