Syrian opposition forces announced that they had captured Damascus, while President Bashar al-Assad reportedly fled the capital.
Sudden escalation of the conflict in Syria, led by the militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), revived the civil war that had been largely dormant for years, and in just a few days led to the complete collapse of the Syrian system.
The rebels, led by HTS, launched an offensive on Damascus a few days ago, capturing key strategic points in the country.
During the night, the Islamist coalition announced that their forces had entered the city and had begun the process of seizing power.
"Our troops liberated the Sednaya prison and freed thousands of prisoners who had suffered the repression of the regime for years. "Today, Syria begins a new era of freedom," the statement of HTS states. The organization also called on Syrian refugees around the world to return to a "free Syria".
On the streets of Damascus, there are scenes of citizens removing statues of Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez al-Assad, who was in power before him. Demonstrators chanted slogans against the regime, while cars honked their horns in celebration.
Social media has been flooded with videos of Syrians celebrating the fall of power after more than a decade of civil war.
What is HTS?
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is an Islamist militant group whose members are mostly Salafists, members of an ultra-radical sect within Sunni Islam. The goal of HTS is to establish a state in Syria based on Islamic law.
The group emerged in 2012, a year after the outbreak of the civil war in Syria. At first it was known as Jabhat al-Nusra (Nusra Front) and represented the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda.
Under the leadership of Abu Muhammad al-Julani, HTS initially took orders from Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq. However, Baghdadi later severed ties with al-Qaeda and founded the extremist group Islamic State (IS), which Julani did not join.
The Nusra Front soon became one of the most dangerous groups fighting the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, using tactics such as suicide bombings and improvised explosive devices.
Over the years, the group changed its name several times and distanced itself from al-Qaeda. In the northwest of Syria, in 2017, it merged with other opposition groups and formed HTS.
According to US intelligence estimates, HTS has between 5.000 and 10.000 members. In 2018, the group was blacklisted by Washington as a terrorist organization, while a warrant with a reward of 10 million dollars was issued for leader Djulani.
Who are the allies of HTS?
HTS leads an alliance of Syrian militants and rebels fighting the Assad regime, which is backed by Iran and Russia.
Key members of the alliance involved in the current offensive include Failaq al-Sham, Jaish al-Iza, Harakat Ahrar al-Sham and the Turkistan Brigades. The Turkistan Brigade, founded in 2012, consists of fighters from China and Central Asia, mainly Tajiks and Uzbeks.
Besides the formal allies of HTS, there are other groups with similar goals, including the Syrian National Army and the Free Syrian Army.
Those groups, backed by Syria's northern neighbor Turkey, are also believed to be involved in the current offensive.
Source: Radio Free Europe
