Who are Syrian rebels Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, HTS - and what do they want?
9 December 2024, 11:16
Syrian rebels Hayat Tahrir al-Sham have swept to power in Syria after a lightning attack over the past few weeks.
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Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) came from the north, taking several cities including Aleppo and Homs before winning control of the capital Damascus over the weekend.
The rule of longtime dictator Bashar Al-Assad has been toppled and he has fled to Russia, who, along with Iran, had backed him in the years-long Syrian cvil war.
Assad is reviled in much of the West and has been accused of numerous human rights abuses and running a police state.
But HTS, who have been fighting alongside several other groups, are a proscribed Islamist group in the UK, and have also been accused of their own abuses.
Where did HTS come from?
HTS was set up in 2011 near the start of the Syrian civil war by Al-Qaeda under a different name - Jabhat al-Nusra. Al-Qaeda is the group founded by Osama bin Laden, and was most notoriously behind the 9/11 attacks.
An Islamic State leader was also involved in the creation of the group.
HTS has had control of the northern Syrian province of Idlib since 2017 under the so-called Syrian Salvation Government.
What do HTS want?
HTS was named a proscribed group by the UK and other Western countries when it was founded.
Cabinet minister Pat McFadden told LBC's Nick Ferrari on Monday that the British government would consider this designation, without committing to a decision either way.
HTS has since publicly broken with Al-Qaeda, and leaders claim they have a more pluralist vision for Syria. Whether this will prove true remains to be seen.
It is unclear whether HTS has really separated from Al-Qaeda.
Who is their leader?
Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, 42, has been the leader of HTS since 2017.
Born in Saudi Arabia, he has been a longtime Islamist fighter in the Middle East since the US-led coalition's invasion of Iraq in 2003.
He rose to lead the renamed HTS in 2017 and broke publicly with ISIS and Al-Qaeda, as well as marginalising other local factions to consolidate his rule.
Jolani has sought to make his administration like an actual state, including running government ministries and providing aid. He has also made public appearances, similar to how a head of state might act.
His government has also praised the Taliban, who took back control of Afghanistan in 2021, and maintained a religious council underpinned by Sharia law.
What is their human rights record like?
HTS have been accused of torture, extra-judicial killings and numerous other human rights abuses. Several protests have taken place against them in Idlib, both by Islamists and other activists.
The group is said to run secret prisons and detained and killed journalists and other activists who were critical of its regime. HTS are also accused of suppressing freedom of assembly.
The US government reported that members of HTS had "committed the war crime of rape and other forms of sexual violence" last year.
A report added: "Human rights groups also reported HTS routinely detained and physically abused civilians deemed to have violated the group’s stringent interpretation of sharia, which rejected secularism.
"HTS reportedly permitted confessions obtained through torture in its sharia “courts,” denied detainees the opportunity to challenge the legal basis or unlawful nature of their detention, and executed or disappeared perceived opponents and their families."
The group has also used child soldiers on multiple occasions, according to the US government.
In addition to this, HTS are also said to have a repressive attitude towards women, restricting their rights and what they are allowed to wear.
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Who else are they fighting alongside?
Several other groups have also risen up during the recent fighting, including Kurdish militants in the east of the country, and the Turkey-backed Syrian National Army in the north.
There are also reports that ISIS-backed factions could also seize control in the eastern desert region.
It's likely to be a challenge for HTS to unify control of the entire country, which has been in a civil war since 2011.
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What have other governments said?
Western governments have remained cautious about the new regime.
Keir Starmer welcomed the end of Assad's rule, but said it was "early days" yet in deciding how Britain would choose to engage with those who have overthrown him.
Joe Biden said: "It’s a moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria to build a better future for their proud country.
"It’s also a moment of risk and uncertainty. As we all turn to the question of what comes next, the United States will work with our partners and the stakeholders in Syria to help them seize an opportunity to manage the risk."
Israel seized control of the Golan Heights buffer zone between its territory and Syria after Assad's troops left the area.
Israeli forces also bombed weapons sites in Damascus.
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Russia, which was supporting Assad, has granted him asylum.
Meanwhile in Afghanistan the Taliban congratulated HTS on its victory. A spokesperson said: "We express hope that the process of power transition be carried out in a manner aligned with the aspirations of the Syrian people, paving path for the establishment of an independent and service-oriented Islamic government."
