If the fog of the last days of the war between the armed opposition and the old regime begins to dissipate, political uncertainty remains total in Syria. The first signs sent by the new strongmen in Damascus indicate that the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTC) intends to maintain control over the transition process that it itself initiated. Tuesday, December 10, by appointing national transitional prime minister Mohammad Al-Bashir, the head of the executive of Idlib, the territory he controlled until now, does HTC intend to make past territories under his control a “greater Idlib”? A challenge, a priori, as the geographical extent, the demographic weight, the diversity of populations and the presence of other political-military actors are out of all proportion to the bastion that HTC has built for itself in the northwest of the country. , since 2017, and where the organization was still isolated a dozen days ago.
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Opposition forces led by HTC nevertheless continue to expand their control in Syria. Early Wednesday, December 11, the group's military operations directorate affirmed that their offensive in the eastern province of Deir ez-Zor was continuing after the capture of the regional capital. It had been briefly occupied by the Syrian Democratic Forces, predominantly Kurdish, who, faced with dissidence and demonstrations of rejection in this city with an Arab population, withdrew on Tuesday evening.
The east of the governorate of Deir ez-Zor, on the other side of the Euphrates, however, remains controlled by Kurdish forces. And, in the coastal region, north of Latakia, fighting still pits rebels, including jihadists, against groups of men loyal to the old regime.
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Appointed interim prime minister by the political and military leader of HTC, Ahmed Al-Charaa, by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed Al-Joulani, the former head of the civilian government of Idlib province promised “stability” et ” calm “ to the Syrian people exhausted by more than thirteen years of war. “It is time for these people to enjoy stability and calm, to be cared for and to know that their government is there to provide them with the services they need”, said Mohammad Al-Bashir to the Al-Jazeera channel
Checkpoints and identity checks
On Tuesday, the new administration named a former opposition commander, Fouad Al-Chami, as the country's police chief. “Our fighters are deployed to patrol across Damascushe declared. We will not rest until security and order are restored to all parts of the country. »
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