Syria live: rebels say they have captured Damascus as Bashar al-Assad reported to have fled – latest updates

Anti-regime forces declare Damascus ‘free’ of Assad as government forces withdraw presenceBashar al-Assad reported to have fled Syria as rebels say they have captured DamascusThe rebels who have swept through Syria are led by Islamist alliance Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, along with an umbrella group of Turkish-backed Syrian militias called the Syrian National Army (SNA).Here is an extract from our explainer on HTS, which is rooted in Syria’s branch of Al-Qaida, and the SNA:Both have been entrenched in the north-west. They launched the shock offensive on 27 November with gunmen capturing Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, and the central city of Hama, the fourth largest.The founder of HTS, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, was once a participant in the Iraqi insurgency against the US as a member of the group that eventually became Islamic State. Continue reading...

Syria live: rebels say they have captured Damascus as Bashar al-Assad reported to have fled – latest updates

Anti-regime forces declare Damascus ‘free’ of Assad as government forces withdraw presence

The rebels who have swept through Syria are led by Islamist alliance Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, along with an umbrella group of Turkish-backed Syrian militias called the Syrian National Army (SNA).

Here is an extract from our explainer on HTS, which is rooted in Syria’s branch of Al-Qaida, and the SNA:

Both have been entrenched in the north-west. They launched the shock offensive on 27 November with gunmen capturing Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, and the central city of Hama, the fourth largest.

The founder of HTS, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, was once a participant in the Iraqi insurgency against the US as a member of the group that eventually became Islamic State. Continue reading...