aIn the middle of Sarakib's tile rub, some of the wall graffiti dating back to that era as the center of the 2011 Arab Spring uprising. It is read as “The revolution continues.” “The sun will rise tomorrow,” says another.
A week after Bashar al-Assad's incredible defeat by the rebels led by Muslim group Hayat Tahri al-Shaam, the concrete, red soil and olive groves of this small town northwest of Syria are The Guardian was a 280-mile stop (450 km) travelling along the M5. This is a highway that runs all the major cities of the country and six states together.
The suffering has been palpated everywhere, from children running around bins for food in Aleppo and Homs, to relatives looking for their loved ones in prisons in Damascus, to displaced people still living in tents in Idlib. Ta. There are major challenges for the HTS transition government, and in some places sectarian violence has already reappeared.
However, after 13 years of sacrifice, blood and exile, the appetite for freedom that promoted Syrian popular revolution endured. In dozens of interviews in Idlib province, HTS's bases and newly filmed Aleppo, Homs and Damascus robbed stories from those who surprised they could speak openly after more than 50 years of dictatorship .
“We paid a high price for basic human rights for dignity,” said Hussein, who fled Sarakib for the relative security of Idlib when the city fell to Assad in 2020. “They said,” said Al Khaled, 37. A moment for decades. ”
Taking Sarakib in the M5 was a key victory for Assad, reminiscing the capital Damascus with the economic center of Aleppo, allowing the administration to retreat Sandy-rate opposition forces northwest. In December, the same route became the rebel path to victory.
The unprecedented HTS-led attack that forced Assad to escape to Russia took place over the course of a year. It began in Idlib city. The scars of war are still evident there. Some buildings have been attacked by missiles, and abandoned military locations are scattered across the surrounding countryside.
Still listed as a terrorist group by the Western countries, HTS can cement control here in 2019, and for years with other Muslim groups before bringing some stability to this corner of Syria I fought. Until December, this was in the only pocket of the country still outside its control, as Assad's long-standing battle (Hezbollah, a group of Russia, Iran and Lebanese) to reclaim the urban centres of the city from rebels. did.
Idlib province was home to about 1 million people before the war, but the population has swelled to about 4 million from the waves after the waves of refugees fled elsewhere. .
“I came here from Raqqa a few years ago. “I've been here from Raqqa,” said Mohammed, a 45-year-old street vendor who sells pastries during morning rush hour at Roundabout in Central Idlib.
His family fled the rise of the Islamic state. The Islamic states have used the chaos of war to establish the so-called caliphate system. The desert city of Raqqa was the capital before the US-led coalition defeated the jihadists in 2019. Now on raqqa. I built a new life here.”
Today, it is money that sets Idlib apart from the rest of the country. Syria is suffocated by economic sanctions and regime corruption, with over 90% of its population living under the poverty line. However, Idlib has 4G Internet, water, electrical services and garbage collection, and the Salvation Government (HTS's National Construction Project) has built roads, schools and hospitals.
The proximity to Türkiye in favour of several Syrian rebel groups means that goods from the outside world are readily available. The streets are filled with SUVs, and several shiny new malls compete for business with hipster coffee shops and military supplies stores selling combat equipment, fatigue and gun parts.
However, Idlib's prosperity appears to have paid a price. The rules of HTS are authoritarian: Critics and protesters arrested or disappearedand minority groups report property confiscation and restrictions on religious services. In the past, women have been subject to dress codes. Today there is still gender separation and music is not permitted in public places.
“Officially, you don't need to wear an abaya or a scarf, but you can't go outside without covering your hair,” said a female activist in Aleppo. “HTS is a thug. This is not the future she wanted from her daughters.”
Whether HTS will export versions of Muslim rule to other parts of the country is currently at the forefront of many people's minds. Aleppo, just 37 miles (60km) from Idlib city, was the first target in a surprise attack that saw Assad's control collapsed like a house in the card. Between 2012 and 2016, the widespread devastation caused by the administration's ferocious air campaign and the siege of rebels came to symbolize the brutality of war.
Very little has been rebuilt today. Like many places in Syria, half of Aleppo is left to corrupt to remind them of the prices to pay to stand up to the regime, and the cities are desperately poor. The pollution from the locally refined gasoline used in generators clogs the streets and despite the harsh winter weather, no one can afford to warm the home.
“As a Christian, I was worried, but they didn't attack my store. They came and said: “Hello Joseph, how are you?” About the arrival of HTS, owned by the antique shop. said Joseph Fanung, 68, the person in question.
Abu Obeida, commander of the Turkey-backed Northern Storm Brigade, fought the HTS to take Aleppo, but Syrians said there was no need to fear.
“We've entered all the cities and people don't see anything from us, but we have good words and good treatment,” he said. “We have no sect hatred. It is our duty to protect the minorities, as the minorities are under our control.”
Despite repeated security from HTS and its allies, concerns remain. “Before the revolution, things were under some control. Mahmoud Farash, a 50-year-old restaurateur, said:
Further down the M5, there are scenes of destruction and poverty repeated. Homs was the scene of the most intense early battle between the regime and the rebels as the Arab Spring transformed into a civil war. The whole neighborhood is turned into an empty shell, and holes are breaking down the walls.
Syrian government forces have gone home after the residents fled and destroyed what they had prevented no one from returning. Some of the buildings have progeimal graffiti: “You wanted freedom, your dog” and “Assad forever.”
Evacuated residents may return, but they will not often return. 60-year-old Ali Nadas fled Homs in 2013. He returns and finds a stray dog living in the apartment building. “It used to be full of people. Where are your family now?” he said. “There's nothing left.”
Many parts of Damascus were relatively insulated from the conflicts that had enraged elsewhere in Syria. The residents were shocked by the arrival of opposition and Muslim fighters on the streets.
Those who chose to stay here during the war are now afraid to be considered parental regulation. They also worry that HTS may not follow their promises to hold elections and protect women and minority rights.
The city's famous Abbas Island Square held its first democratic protest since 2011. Others worry that residents feel they need it.
Radio journalist Nawara Al Balidi, 29, was among those protesting. She said her station was closed by HTS a few days after Assad fled the country.
“Young people gather here today to assure you that Syria is for all Syrians, not just for a particular party or ideology,” she said.
In the end, all the Arab Spring uprisings in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Yemen failed. In Syria, the bloodshed of the civil war and the cruel legacy of the Assad regime have cast a long shadow, but now the country has a chance to build another path.
