The leader of Syria's Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham movement has said the militant groups that toppled Assad will be "disbanded". Islamist jihadist leader Ahmed al-Sharaa claimed that all militants will "abide by the law" as he sought to underline the need for unity in post-war Syria.

Syria's militant factions will be "disbanded", the leader of the group that led to the ouster of Bashar al-Assad has promised, seeking to reassure minorities at home and abroad that the country's interim leaders will protect all Syrians and state institutions, The Guardian reports.

Ahmed al-Sharaa, the leader of the terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which toppled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said during a meeting with members of the Druze community that all opposition groups "will be dissolved and their fighters will be trained so that they can join the forces of the Defense Ministry."

"Everyone will obey the law," he added, according to the group's Telegram channel. The militant leader also stressed the need for unity in the multi-ethnic and multi-religious country.

"Syria must remain united," he said. "There must be a social contract between the state and all religions that guarantees social justice."

In a separate meeting with the British delegation, Sharaa, who is better known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, also said that if the refugees displaced by the war want to return, international sanctions against Damascus must be lifted.

He spoke of the “importance of rebuilding relations” with London and stressed “the importance of lifting all sanctions imposed on Syria so that displaced Syrians can return to their country,” according to comments posted on his group’s Telegram channel on Monday.

Since the overthrow of President Assad last week, European countries including Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Sweden and Norway have said they are suspending asylum applications from Syrians, despite a lack of clarity about what lies ahead for the country.