KUALA LUMPUR — Scores of fighters from Indonesia who have chosen to remain in Syria to defend the transitional government helmed by former rebel leader President Ahmed al-Sharaa want to stay in the country long term, according to one militant from the Southeast Asian nation.
Going by the nom de guerre Abu Ukasyah, the 33-year-old father of three from East Java province, told Nikkei Asia in an exclusive interview that he had lived in Syria for nine years and was now part of the Syrian national armed forces.
