Damascus [Syria], December 10: Syria's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group said they are working on taking complete control of the Syrian capital Damascus and promised a new government would take over immediately after its formation.
"Our forces have almost finalized control of the capital and protecting public property," the group said on social media on Monday.
"The new government will start work immediately after its formation," it added, without giving further details.
Photos of HTS leader Abu Mohamed al-Joulani, who spoke at the Umayyad mosque in Damascus on Sunday evening, were being distributed by officials.
Syrian opposition took the capital Damascus after former president Bashar al-Assad fled the country for Moscow.
Al-Assad had ruled the country since 2000, and his father, Hafez al-Assad, had seized power in 1971. HTS led a surprise offensive that began in north-western Syria in late November and then quickly seized territory from pro-Assad forces as they moved south toward Damascus. Damascus residents reported chaotic scenes. "There is chaos everywhere," a woman called Saina, who lives near the former al-Assad residence, said. She described groups "looking like gangs" roaming the streets.
Many residents were staying in their homes, and a curfew was been imposed from the afternoon. Many businesses remained shuttered. "I've been unable to open the doors since Saturday," supermarket owner Mustafa said as he opened up on Monday. "Today I feel safer, but there is a lot of looting on the main roads," he added.
Long queues were reported at the borders with Turkey and Lebanon, with Syrians in exile making their way home, despite dire humanitarian conditions in Syria with more than 16 million people dependent on aid.
A tense calm hung over Aleppo to the north, with eyewitnesses reporting people on the streets and markets open in the country's second city. Apart from HTS, no armed groups were seen.
The search for the toppled regime's political prisoners continued.
Civil protection units, known as the White Helmets, were using dogs and sound sensors to look for secret cells in the notorious Sednaya Prison north of Damascus, their leader posted on X.
According to HTS figures, 910 people died during the offensive that began almost two weeks ago. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the figure included 138 civilians, with children among those killed.
Source: Qatar Tribune
