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Who now controls Syria after the fall of Assad?
The Assad regime is history in Syria. Who controls which areas of the country, what terrain has recently been gained and where foreign powers are represented.
The Assad clan ruled Syria for more than 50 years, and a bloody civil war raged in the country for almost eleven years. Bashar al-Assad’s dictatorship came to an end on Sunday, and the deposed ruler fled into exile in Moscow, where Russian President Waldimir Putin wants to grant him asylum. This was preceded by a surprise offensive by the rebel alliance led by the Islamist militia “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham” (HTS), during which one city after another fell to the rebels.
The map below shows who currently controls which areas in Syria and where foreign powers are represented:
Who controls which areas in Syria after the fall of Assad?
They control most of the country, including the capital Damascus, the most populous metropolis Aleppo and the strategically important city of Hama HTS-led rebels. The red line surrounds the area that until a few days ago was under government control. It illustrates the rebels’ immense gains in territory within a short period of time. According to state media, after the fall of Assad, the HTS appointed Mohammed al-Bashir, previously prime minister in the rebel stronghold of Idlib, as head of an interim government.
They dominate in the northeast Kurds around a quarter of the country. Syria’s largest ethnic minority and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) they lead are controlled by the USA which has maintained a military base near Tanf since 2016. The Kurdish fighters have also been able to gain greater ground in recent days.
The Türkiye Dominates large areas along its border in northern Syria with the allied rebel group “Syrian National Army” (SNA) and fights the Kurdish and YPG militias there.
The terrorist organization “Islamic State”which once also had large areas of Syria under its control, now only controls a few small remaining areas.
The Russian armed forceslong the life insurance of the Assad regime, have so far maintained both an air force and a naval base on the coast. Experts suspect that Russian President Vladimir Putin could withdraw military equipment and personnel to use in Ukraine after the end of the Syrian war.
Pictures from Assad’s palace: They take selfies where a dictator once sat enthroned
Anything but a normal tourist tour
They seem like a group of tourists on a tour of a tourist attraction: After the fall of Bashar al-Assad, onlookers and looters broke into his palace. They probably saw for the first time with their own eyes how luxuriously the dictator ruled while 90 percent of his people lived and still live in poverty
© Hussein Malla / AP / DPA
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In the gallery: When the rebels came, Bashar al-Assad fled Syria headlong. Where the dictator once sat enthroned, onlookers now stroll through deserted halls.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
