Syria's Assad names ex-minister Jalali to form cabinet

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued a decree naming former communications minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali to form a new cabinet, state media said on Saturday.

The new cabinet will replace an outgoing administration which has been serving in a caretaker role since parliamentary elections in mid-July.

Al-Jalali served as communications minister from 2014-2016. He has been subject to EU sanctions since 2014 for his "responsibility for the regime's violent repression of the civilian population."

According to UN figures, at least 350,000 people have been killed in Syria's civil war, which erupted in 2011 from an uprising against Assad's rule.


Reuters