dpa
Beirut/Cairo
Syria’s opposition forces-led transitional government has appointed Asaad Hassan al-Shibani as the country’s foreign minister, the former state Syrian News Agency (SANA) announced on Telegram on Saturday.
Al-Shibani, who was born in 1987 in the north-eastern province al-Hasakah, has been active in the opposition since the outbreak of the civil war in Syria in spring 2011.
Former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad brutally suppressed opposition forces in the country, of which he controlled about two-thirds until his ousting almost two weeks ago.
Despite this, the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) set up a parallel administration in the north-west of the country in 2017.
Al-Shibani established the department of political affairs in this HTS administration.
He is said to have been active in thehumanitarian field and in foreign affairs and established good connections with the United Nations, among others, sources told DPA.
He reportedly studied English language and literature at the University of Damascus and has a master’s degree in political science and international relations.
Al-Assad fled Syria earlier this month after a opposition forces alliance led by HTS launched a rapid offensive, capturing the two biggest cities in the country, Aleppo and Damascus.