In Damascus, life is cautiously returning to regular as residents step out of their properties right into a Syria reworked by the ousting of long-time president Bashar al-Assad.
“We had been somewhat fearful, however since Sunday, we’re not afraid,” stated Lina al-Ostaz, referring to when the Syrian capital fell to a coalition of Islamist-led rebels.
The 11-day lightning offensive by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allies ended over half a century of unchecked rule by the Assad dynasty.
Ostaz stated she left her home for the primary time because the offensive started to buy groceries in central Damascus on Tuesday. She strolled via the market along with her husband, smiling at patrons and passersby.
“We Syrians, we love life, and life goes on,” stated the 57-year-old, who hesitated earlier than mentioning she was arrested by authorities forces in 2015.
“I hope that the long run shall be higher for younger individuals,” she stated.
After greater than half a century of repression, Syrians appear to be talking extra freely.
– ‘We stay cautious’-
In Qassaa, a predominantly Christian neighbourhood, cafes are bustling with patrons smoking shisha and taking part in playing cards.
“We had been very afraid… however we inspired one another to exit and resume our regular lives,” stated Rania Diab, a 64-year-old physician who left house for the primary time to fulfill up with buddies at a restaurant.
“However we stay cautious, we go house early, the state of affairs shouldn’t be but clear,” she added.
She stated her solely hope was “that we will stay usually in our nation, that our freedoms are preserved… and that we will stay in safety and with freedom of opinion”.
The curfew imposed on the capital’s residents since Sunday has been relaxed, now beginning at 9:00 p.m. (1800 GMT) as an alternative of 5:00 p.m. and lasting till morning.
Within the streets, portraits of Bashar al-Assad have been torn down. The inexperienced, white, and black flag of the revolution now flies, changing the crimson, white, and black of the Syrian flag adopted throughout Assad’s father Hafez’s reign.
Spent bullet casings litter the huge central Umayyad Sq., the place revellers play out revolutionary songs.
Armed males from numerous insurgent teams, clad in fatigues and infrequently carrying balaclavas, patrol the streets of the capital. Regime troopers and cops abandoned their posts in massive numbers on Sunday.
– New rulers of Damascus –
On the police headquarters in Damascus, there are officers from the self-proclaimed insurgent authorities of Idlib, led by Mohammad al-Bashir, who was appointed as the pinnacle of Syria’s transitional authorities on Tuesday.
A person who launched himself as the brand new head of the police and declined to offer his identify informed AFP that they might take up their duties within the coming days.
“We are going to make sure the safety of all authorities buildings and preserve safety within the capital,” he stated.
Within the upscale Malki neighbourhood, individuals sat in out of doors cafes, whereas younger individuals staged an impromptu demonstration, dancing to the acquainted tunes of the 2011 rebellion.
The peaceable demonstrations had been brutally repressed by Assad’s forces, sparking a civil conflict that fragmented Syria and killed greater than half one million individuals.
Within the historic coronary heart of the capital, the bars of the Christian neighbourhood of Bab Touma, which serve alcohol, are nonetheless closed.
Within the eating places and cafes which might be open, alcohol shouldn’t be served, out of warning as residents await the brand new order beneath Damascus’s new rulers.
