The organization, which the US designates a terrorist group, has tried to shed that image and appear more moderate to the West.
Bashar Assad’s 24-year rule came to an end on Sunday as rebels swept into Damascus, the Syrian capital.
Shortly after insurgents declared the city “free”, Russia’s foreign ministry announced Assad had resigned his position and left the country. Russian state news later reported that Assad had arrived in Moscow, where he was granted asylum.
The collapse of Assad’s government came after a coalition of opposition forces led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham launched a surprise offensive, seizing control of major cities like Aleppo, Hama, and Homs in a matter of days.
Syrians around the world celebrated the end of Assad’s rule, which was marked by brutal suppression. His violent crackdown on peaceful anti-government protests in 2011, part of the Arab Spring uprisings, sparked a civil war that killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions, straining neighboring countries like Turkey and Lebanon.
World leaders conveyed cautious optimism after news of Assad’s ouster, but uncertainty remains around what kind of government and leader will replace him.
One major player will almost certainly be HTS, which is led by Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, a Syrian who fought against US occupation in Iraq alongside a branch of Al Qaeda.
Jolani later returned to Syria, his homeland, where he fought with Jabhat Al-Nusra — an Al Qaeda offshoot formed in 2012 — and other rebel groups against Assad’s forces.
