From Fighters to Policemen in a Post-Assad Damascus

Till lately, these males have been at battle with the Syrian authorities. Now, they’re manning checkpoints throughout the capital. They’re former fighters for Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or H.T.S. The Islamist group, as soon as an Al Qaeda affiliate, overthrew the federal government of Bashar al-Assad in early December. After 13 years of civil battle, restoring safety is among the prime priorities for H.T.S. The group has put in folks like Basel al-Helal, a former insurgent, to move the police in Damascus. The fighters turned police now management visitors and try to return property that was looted in the course of the latest authorities overthrow. In addition they say their mission is to conduct raids to apprehend drug sellers, thieves and former authorities officers. Earlier than ousting al-Assad, H.T.S. ran an area authorities in part of northern Syria that it managed. There, it was accused of rights abuses, together with the jailing of critics. This has some folks nervous. They’re involved about how H.T.S. will govern now that it controls a a lot bigger and extra numerous a part of the nation. These H.T.S. fighters say considerations about them are misplaced.