For much of its 13 years, the horrors of Syria’s devastating civil war seemed endless. Now, President Bashar al-Assad’s regime is gone, the dictator has fled his country in the face of advancing rebel forces.
Assad clung to power through domestic oppression, torture, and murder, with a mix of chemical weapons and support from Russia and Iran. This seems to have come to an end, putting a stop to his family’s iron-fisted dynasty that began in 1971.
However, this is far from a quick and simple solution for the country. The rebels who overthrew Assad are led by a group that the United States and others consider a terrorist organization. And they are reclaiming a Syria deeply scarred by more than a decade of war — with no clear path for what will happen next or how the country can be governed.
Understand
The news that spread across Syria and social media was finally confirmed in an announcement on Sunday (8) by Russian state media: This once-feared strongman has fled the country that his family ruled for more than 50 years.
Assad fled after rebels entered and took Damascus, apparently with little resistance from government forces. The lightning advance began on November 27, quickly sweeping through the cities of Aleppo, Hama, and then the capital itself.
The rebels seem to have capitalized on Syrian government supporters being distracted by other conflicts: Russia in Ukraine, and Iran and its Lebanese representative Hezbollah fighting against Israel. However, many experts did not foresee this. And Moscow was no different.
Syria has dominated international headlines for nearly a decade. Its civil war erupted after Assad crushed peaceful protests during the Arab Spring of 2011 across the region.
It soon became a complex and dizzying conflict, with Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah aligning behind Assad, and the U.S., Turkey, and others supporting different rebel groups.
As the rebels swept through Damascus, celebratory gunfire echoed through the streets as people wrapped themselves in the Syrian opposition flag and toppled statues of the former ruler.
More than 13 million people have fled their homes in the war, according to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR. About 7 million of them have been displaced within the country and 6 million abroad — scattered across Turkey, other parts of the Middle East, and beyond. The conflict in Syria has partly contributed to a wave of mass immigration to Europe, especially.
A large part of this diaspora also responded to Assad’s fall with joy, some rushing to return home.
Thousands gathered in European cities like London and Berlin, the capital of the continent’s largest Syrian population, Germany, where more than 1 million of them live.
What Comes Next?
The rebels are led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group that grew out of Al Qaeda. Its leader, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, was involved with militants who fought against American forces in Iraq after the invasion in 2003.
In recent years, he has sought to project a more moderate image, however, severing ties with Al-Qaeda, renouncing international extremism, and instead focusing on creating an Islamic republic in Syria. He claims to support religious tolerance and internal debate.
How Do the U.S. Fit into All This?
President Joe Biden and his officials welcomed Assad’s fall while expressing caution about the potential for more violence and oppression as Syria enters a new era.
“This is a moment of historic opportunity for the suffering people of Syria to build a better future for their proud country,” he said on Sunday. “It is also a moment of risk and uncertainty, as we all turn to the question of what comes next.”
The U.S. has about 900 troops supporting Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria, part of a coalition of 80 countries to keep ISIS in check.
President-elect Donald Trump said he wants to withdraw those forces, reiterating on his Truth Social site that the U.S. should have “nothing to do with” the situation in Syria. “This is not our fight. Let it happen,” he wrote.
Source: NBC News