Syrian Government Services Halted After Rebel Takeover | rssama.com

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria’s premier curate said Monday that astir furniture ministers were backmost astatine activity aft rebels overthrew President Bashar Assad, but immoderate authorities workers grounded to return to their jobs, and a United Nations charismatic said nan country’s nationalist assemblage had travel “to a complete and abrupt halt.”

Meanwhile, streams of refugees crossed backmost into Syria from neighboring countries, hoping for a much serene early and looking for relatives who vanished during Assad’s sadistic rule.

There were already signs of the difficulties ahead for nan rebel confederation now successful power of overmuch of nan country. The confederation is led by a erstwhile elder al-Qaida militant who severed ties pinch nan extremist group years agone and has promised typical authorities and belief tolerance.

The rebel bid said Monday they would not show women really to dress.

“It is strictly forbidden to interfere pinch women’s dress aliases enforce immoderate petition related to their clothing aliases appearance, including requests for modesty,” nan bid said successful a connection connected societal media.

Nearly 2 days aft rebels entered nan capital, immoderate cardinal authorities services had unopen down aft authorities workers ignored calls to spell backmost to their jobs, nan U.N. charismatic said, causing issues astatine airports and borders and slowing nan travel of humanitarian aid.

Rebel leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was agelong known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, besides met for nan first clip pinch Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi Jalali, who stayed successful Syria erstwhile Assad fled.

“You will spot location are skills” among nan rebels, al-Sharaa said successful a video shared connected a rebel messaging channel.

Israel said it carried retired airstrikes connected suspected chemic weapons sites and long-range rockets to support them from falling into nan hands of extremists. Israel besides seized a buffer area wrong Syria aft Syrian troops withdrew.

In bluish Syria, Turkey said allied guidance forces seized nan municipality of Manbij from Kurdish-led forces backed by nan United States, a reminder that moreover aft Assad’s departure, nan state remains divided among equipped groups that person fought successful nan past.

Damascus was quiet Monday, pinch life slow returning to normal, though astir shops and nationalist institutions were closed. In nationalist squares, immoderate group were still celebrating. Civilian postulation resumed, but location was nary nationalist transport. Long lines formed successful beforehand of bakeries and different nutrient stores.

There was small motion of immoderate information beingness though successful immoderate areas, mini groups of equipped men were stationed successful nan streets.

Across swathes of Syria, families are now waiting extracurricular prisons, information offices and courts, hoping for news of loved ones who were imprisoned aliases who disappeared.

Just northbound of Damascus successful nan feared Saydnaya subject prison, women detainees, immoderate pinch their children, screamed arsenic rebels collapsed locks disconnected their compartment doors. Amnesty International and different groups opportunity dozens of group were secretly executed each week successful Saydnaya, and they estimate that up to 13,000 Syrians were killed betwixt 2011 and 2016.

“Don’t beryllium afraid,” 1 rebel said arsenic he ushered women from packed cells. “Bashar Assad has fallen!”

In southern Turkey, Mustafa Sultan was among hundreds of Syrian refugees waiting astatine separator crossings to caput home. He was searching for his older brother, who was imprisoned nether Assad.

“I haven’t seen him for 13 years,” he said. “I americium going to spell spot whether he’s alive.”

Jalali, nan premier minister, has sought to task normalcy since Assad fled.

“We are moving truthful that nan transitional play is speedy and smooth,” he told Sky News Arabia TV connected Monday, saying nan information business had already improved from nan time before.

At nan tribunal of Justice successful Damascus, which was stormed by nan rebels to free detainees, Judge Khitam Haddad, an adjutant to nan justness curate successful nan outgoing government, said Sunday that judges were fresh to resume activity quickly.

“We want to springiness everyone their rights,” Haddad said extracurricular nan courthouse. “We want to build a caller Syria and to support nan work, but pinch caller methods.”

But a U.N. charismatic said immoderate authorities services had been paralyzed arsenic worried authorities labor stayed home.

The nationalist assemblage “has conscionable travel to a complete and abrupt halt,” said U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria Adam Abdelmoula, noting, for example, that an assistance formation carrying urgently needed aesculapian supplies had been put connected clasp aft aviation labor abandoned their jobs.

“This is simply a state that has had 1 authorities for 53 years and past abruptly each of those who person been demonized by nan nationalist media are now successful complaint successful nan nation’s capital,” Abdelmoula told The Associated Press. “I deliberation it will return a mates of days and a batch of assurance connected nan portion of nan equipped groups for these group to return to activity again.”

Britain and nan U.S. are some considering whether to region nan main anti-Assad rebel group from their lists of designated violent organizations.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham began arsenic an offshoot of al-Qaida but trim ties pinch nan group years agone and has worked to coming a much mean image.

The group’s leader, al-Sharaa, “is saying immoderate of nan correct things astir nan protection of minorities, astir respecting people’s rights,” British Cabinet curate Pat McFadden said, adding that a alteration would beryllium considered “quite quickly.”

But British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, speaking later during a sojourn to Saudi Arabia, said it was “far excessively early” to make that decision.

In Washington, a Biden management charismatic noted that HTS will beryllium an “important component” successful Syria’s early and that nan U.S. needs to “engage pinch them appropriately.”

Another management charismatic said nan U.S. remains successful a “wait and see” mode connected whether to region nan designation.

Both officials requested anonymity to talk nan ongoing soul deliberations.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters that specified designations are perpetually nether review. Even while it is successful place, nan nickname does not barroom U.S. officials from speaking pinch members aliases leaders of nan group, he said.

The U.S. besides announced it was sending its typical envoy for hostage affairs to Beirut to activity accusation astir nan whereabouts of Austin Tice, a journalist who vanished successful Syria 12 years agone and who President Joe Biden has said is believed to beryllium alive.

Israelis welcomed nan autumn of Assad, who was a cardinal state of Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group, while expressing interest complete what comes next. Israel says its forces temporarily seized a buffer zone wrong Syria making love backmost to a 1974 statement aft Syrian troops withdrew successful nan chaos.

“The only liking we person is nan information of Israel and its citizens,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told reporters Monday. Saar did not supply specifications astir nan targets, but nan British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said they included weapons warehouses, investigation centers, aerial defense systems and craft squadrons.

Israel has carried retired hundreds of airstrikes successful Syria successful caller years, targeting what it says are subject sites related to Iran and Hezbollah. Israeli officials seldom remark connected individual strikes.

Syria agreed to springiness up its chemic weapons stockpile successful 2013, aft nan authorities was accused of launching an onslaught adjacent Damascus that killed hundreds of people. But it is wide believed to person kept immoderate of nan weapons and was accused of utilizing them again successful consequent years.

Officials successful Turkey, which is nan main protagonist of nan Syrian guidance to Assad, opportunity its friends person taken afloat power of nan bluish Syrian metropolis of Manbij from a U.S.-supported and Kurdish-led unit known arsenic nan Syrian Democratic Forces, aliases SDF.

The SDF said a Turkish drone struck successful nan colony of al-Mistriha successful eastbound Syria, sidesplitting 12 civilians, including six children.

Turkey views nan SDF, which is chiefly composed of a Syrian Kurdish militia, arsenic an hold of nan banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party, aliases PKK, which has waged a decades-long insurgency successful Turkey. The SDF has besides been a cardinal state of nan United States successful nan warfare against nan Islamic State group.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan connected Monday warned against allowing Islamic State aliases Kurdish fighters to return advantage of nan situation, saying Turkey will forestall Syria from turning into a “haven for terrorism.”

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Mroue reported from Beirut and Goldenberg from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writers Suzan Fraser successful Ankara, Turkey, Mehmet Guzel astatine nan Oncupinar separator crossing successful Turkey, Jamey Keaten successful Geneva, and Aamer Madhani and Matthew Lee successful Washington contributed to this report.

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