ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syria’s transitional government on Saturday named Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani as its new foreign minister, less than two weeks after toppling the Bashar al-Assad regime. Shaibani, 37, was born in Hasaka and lived most of his life in Damascus. He has a Bachelor’s degree in English language and literature from Damascus University and a Master’s degree in political science and international relations from Sabahattin Zaim University, a private institution in Istanbul, Turkey. He was one of the founding members of the Idlib-based Syrian salvation government in 2017 and established and led its department of political affairs. He was also a member of the Islamic advisory council known as Shura for Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). HTS spearheaded the rebel offensive launched late last month that toppled Assad and ended over five decades of Baathist rule. They formed the transitional government in Damascus, with Mohammed al-Bashir as its prime minister. The transitional government will remain in power until March 1 next year.
