It was a moment millions of Syrians thought they could no longer hope for. In a matter of days, rebel forces swept out of the north-western corner of the country in which they had been crammed, into the city of Aleppo and beyond.
The dominant power in the rebel coalition is Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a militia which began in 2011 as an offshoot of al-Qaeda, but which has since purged its most extreme elements and greatly moderated. With at least 20,000 members, it’s still an authoritarian Islamist organisation, but is not at all “like Isis”, as some observers are claiming. HTS doesn’t field a “religious police” to interfere in people’s private lives, and it has a far more tolerant approach to religious minorities and dissent than Islamic State. It isn’t popular with the people in the areas it operates – at least it wasn’t until 27 November when the offensive was launched. People have protested its authoritarianism for months. Unlike the regime of Bashar al-Assad, HTS has largely tolerated these protests. But even if Syrians don’t like HTS, they do support the offensive. That’s because they wish to return to their hometowns and cities after Assad and his allies expelled them years ago.
Content from our partners
