The 300,000 veteran troops left behind by Assad have provided a strategic opportunity for Jolani. Holding onto them is a liability; selling them to Saudi Arabia, however, may be a perfect fit. Recently, the Saudi crown prince met with Syria’s interim president, Jolani, and directly requested military support in Yemen to fight the Houthis. Jolani neither accepted nor rejected the request outright. A day later, Damascus clarified its position: deploying troops to Yemen was “entirely baseless.” The national army would not go.
Yet another development emerged: Syria has agreed to allow Saudi Arabia to recruit mercenaries on its soil. The target group: former government soldiers who fought in the civil war and now face unemployment.
This is Jolani’s calculation: his core loyalist force, numbering a few tens of thousands, remains irreplaceable and must be kept under his control. But within the country, there are still some 300,000 former regime troops—disbanded in structure but still armed, present, and harboring resentment. Left unmanaged, they pose a security risk. Deployed abroad, they become a source of revenue. With Saudi Arabia seeking laborers, Syria avoids the burden of maintaining them while gaining remittances and reducing internal pressure—all at once, a triple benefit.
Saudi Arabia sees advantages too. The situation along the frontlines in Yemen has deteriorated severely. Thousands of government forces have been repelled by just dozens of Houthi fighters, and tens of thousands were encircled in the Taiz highlands. Turkey and Pakistan are willing only to defend Saudi territory; no other allies are available for frontline deployment. Riyadh does not necessarily need victory—it needs bodies to hold the line.
Thus, across the Red Sea, from Syria to Yemen, a new migration route has emerged—one that offers reemployment for 300,000 veterans. On one side: dollars and food rations. On the other: the relief of shedding an unwanted burden.
Jolani did not dispatch troops, yet secured a deal far more advantageous than direct military involvement: preserving his core force, removing a domestic threat, opening a new revenue stream, and granting Saudi Arabia sufficient diplomatic respect. The foundation stones of Syria’s reconstruction now contain traces of gunfire from across the Red Sea.
What comes next hinges on three numbers: how many will be recruited, who exactly will be selected, and how they will be repatriated after the conflict ends. The final piece of the mercenary warfare puzzle has never been fought on the battlefield.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1878624673831946/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.