An official with Syria’s Defense Ministry says the country plans to demobilize tens of thousands of reservists starting from next month, marking the nation’s defeat of foreign-backed terrorists.
“Tens of thousands will be demobilized by the end of the current year, and the same next year, while maintaining combat readiness and acting in the interests of the people,” Major General Ahmed Suleiman told Syrian state television.
According to the official, the demobilization of reservists will be based on a three-phase plan beginning next month and running until the end of October 2025.
Suleiman also announced that reserve service, which currently set at six years, will be reduced to a maximum of two years in the final phase.
The plan aim to “achieve an advanced army that relies on voluntary enlistment, through a new volunteer contract”, Suleiman said.
Under the new volunteer contract, anyone who has completed five years of service and does not wish to continue will be discharged.
The official noted that those who enlisted voluntarily and have served for 10 years will be exempted from all reserve service.
The Syrian army comprises three major groups: soldiers who enlist voluntarily, conscripts serving compulsory military service, and reservists, who have finished their service but can be summoned for additional duty at any time.
Since March 2011, Syria has been gripped by a campaign of militancy and destruction sponsored by the US and its allies.
In recent years, however, Syrian government forces have managed to win back control of almost all regions from terrorist groups.
The US military has stationed its forces and equipment in northeastern Syria, with the Pentagon claiming that the deployment is aimed at preventing the oil fields in the area from falling into the hands of Daesh terrorists.
Damascus maintains that the deployment is meant to plunder Syria’s natural resources. Former US President Donald Trump admitted on several occasions that American forces were in the Arab country for its oil wealth.
