Syria's new leadership has appointed Murhaf Abu Qasra, a prominent figure in the insurgency that toppled President Bashar Al-Assad, as defense minister in the interim government. Abu Qasra, also known as Abu Hassan 600, is a senior member of the Islamist Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) group. HTS was once a part of Al-Nusra Front, which is Syria's Al-Qaeda branch. Qasra's appointment came days after he announced that HTS would be 'the first' to disband their armed wing and merge with the Syrian national forces.