THE Syrian factions that toppled President Bashar al-Assad last month named jihadist leader Ahmad al-Sharaa as the country’s interim president on Wednesday.

The appointment of Mr Sharaa as Syria’s president came after a meeting of the former insurgent factions in Damascus, the Syrian capital.

Mr Sharaa is head of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. He was once a prominent member of terrorist group al-Qaida.

Mr Sharaa and his group have said they now denounce their former ties to the group.

The exact mechanism under which the factions selected Mr Sharaa as interim president was not clear.

In recent years, Mr Sharaa has sought to cast himself as a champion of pluralism and tolerance and promised to protect the rights of women and religious minorities.

The United States had previously placed a $10 million (£8m) bounty on Mr Sharaa but cancelled it last month after a US delegation visited Damascus and met him. 

Speaking at Wednesday’s meeting, Mr Sharaa said: “If the victor is arrogant after his victory and forgets the favour of Allah upon him, it will lead him to tyranny.”