“In Syria, we are living through historic moments as we witness the fall of the authoritarian regime in Damascus. This change presents an opportunity to build a new Syria based on democracy and justice that guarantees the rights of all Syrians,” Abdi said on X.
Syria’s civil war dramatically reignited late last month when a coalition of rebels led by the Islamist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched a blistering offensive against the Syrian army. They quickly took control of the northern city of Aleppo, the largest in the country, and then advanced to capture the strategic central province of Hama.
Their blitz continued as they captured Homs, and culminated in the fall of Damascus as rebels said President Bashar al-Assad fled the country, ending over five decades of Baathist rule.
Kurds have greatly expanded the territory under their control to cover most of oil-rich Deir ez-Zor province in the east after Syrian government forces and their pro-Iran allies withdrew to redeploy in other areas where the regime is fighting rebels.
After taking over Damascus, HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani ordered his forces not to approach any official institutions in the capital and declared that these institutions will remain under the supervision of Assad’s Prime Minister Mohammed al-Jalali until their official handover.
On Sunday, the White House said that US President Joe Biden was following the “extraordinary” events in Syria.
"President Biden and his team are closely monitoring the extraordinary events in Syria and staying in constant touch with regional partners," National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said in a statement on X.
Also on Sunday, the SDF denied reports of its withdrawal from Deir ez-Zor after Syrian rebels claimed to have captured the eastern city. A day prior, Abdi issued a general amnesty in newly-controlled areas of Deir ez-Zor.
Basam Ishak, a representative of the SDF’s political wing in Washington, told Rudaw on Saturday that the Kurdish-led force is now in control of approximately 40 percent of Syrian territory.
Ishak said the deployment into previously regime-held territory was necessary to avoid a “security vacuum.”
One of the security threats comes from a resurgent Islamic State (ISIS).
