Syrians hope for new era

By Linda Bordoni 

Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the rebel leader of the fighters who put an end to the 52-year Assad ruling dynasty in a lightning 10-day march across Syria, has promised to dissolve the security forces of the former regime, close its prisons and hunt down anyone involved in the torture or killing of detainees.

Congratulating “the great Syrian people for the victory of the blessed revolution,” al-Sharaa appeared in a video inviting them to celebrate without shooting bullets and scaring people. Afterwards, he said, “We will work to build this country.”

Al-Sharaa's group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, and its allied insurgents have been working to establish security and start a political transition after seizing the capital early Sunday.

They are also trying to reassure a public that is both stunned by the fall of the state that had long ruled with an iron hand and concerned over extremist jihadis among the insurgents.

The crowd in Umayyad Square on Friday included many families with children, and some of the demonstrators had come from far-flung areas of the country, including from Idlib — the longtime rebel enclave in the northwest of Syia, for years isolated on the other side of the civil war's battle lines.

Regional diplomacy

As the gathering took place, the top U.S. diplomat was in Turkey discussing the U.S. view on the developments in Syria with regional powers.

Anthony Blinken reportedly expressed hope for the new administration that begins with an "interim government promises to be inclusive and non-sectarian and protect the rights of minorities and women” as well as not posing “any kind of threat to Syria’s neighbors,”