DAMASCUS, Dec 9 (Reuters) – The Sunni-led Islamist rebels who toppled Syria’s Bashar al-Assad met elders within the former president’s Alawite hometown on Monday and acquired their assist, in what residents mentioned was an encouraging signal of tolerance from the nation’s new rulers.
How the rebels deal with the sizeable Alawite inhabitants, who extensively backed Assad and from whom he drew his private presidential guards, is seen in Syria as a lithmus check of whether or not the takeover of Damascus on Sunday results in violent revenge towards former loyalists of a hated five-decade regime.
The insurgent delegation visited Assad’s hometown of Qardaha within the mountains of Latakia province in northwest Syria, assembly with dozens of spiritual males, elders and others on the city corridor for a dialogue, earlier than the Alawite notables signed a press release of assist, three residents mentioned.
The residents mentioned the delegation contained members of each Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Free Syrian Army, Sunni teams that led the insurrection and that Assad had lengthy mentioned had been terrorists who would bloodbath Alawites if he fell.
Syrians from the Alawite faith, an offshoot of Shi-ite Islam, make up about 10% of the nation’s inhabitants and are centred in Latakia province near the Mediterranean Sea and the border with Turkey.
Sunni Muslims are about 70 p.c of the inhabitants, and there are substantial communities of Christians, Kurds, Druze and different teams.
The doc, seen by Reuters, underscored Syria’s spiritual and cultural variety. It additionally referred to as for state police and companies to be restored as shortly as potential beneath the brand new rulers, and agreed that any weapons held by Qardaha residents can be handed over.
“We affirm the unity of the Syrian Arab Republic’s territory and spiritual and cultural variety and variety of thought,” mentioned the assertion signed by round 30 of the city’s notables. It was not signed by the rebels.
A spokesperson for the rebels didn’t instantly reply to a textual content message asking for extra particulars.
One resident, who declined to be named out of fears of retribution in a still-volatile scenario, mentioned the dialogue had helped to assuage the fears of the native inhabitants, constructing on statements by the rebels that they’d respect minority teams.
“It’s one other good step,” mentioned the resident.
The assertion affirmed Qardaha’s “assist for the brand new path and a patriotic free Syria and our full cooperation” with HTS and Free Syrian Army.
The apparently cordial nature of the assembly is in step with a message of moderation communicated by the rebels, led by former Al-Qaeda offshoot HTS, in cities comparable to Aleppo as they swept towards Damascus final week.
HTS has ruled the Syrian metropolis of Idlib and surrounding areas for a number of years and has tried to distance itself from extra radical jihadist actions.
Many members of Syria’s sizeable minority religions worry turning into second-class residents or going through persecution beneath HTS, who’re designated as terrorists by the United States and different world powers.
The HTS chief and mastermind of the insurgent offensive, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, mentioned in an interview with PBS two years in the past that the phobia designation was unfair and that his motion posed no risk exterior Syria.
A British minister on Monday mentioned the nation was analyzing whether or not or to not take away HTS’ terrorist designation.
The residents mentioned locals dismantled a statue of Assad’s father Hafez al-Assad earlier than the rebels arrived in Qardaha.
Later, some individuals from the realm, which is amongst Syria’s most impoverished areas, descended on Hafez al-Assad’s grand mausoleum in Qardaha and looted it, taking every thing from tables and chairs to air con models, the residents mentioned.
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Reporting by Timour Azhari; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel
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