"We have had two contacts with Tahrir al-Sham to open the borders between us," said Riad Darar, former co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC).
Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led a lightning-quick offensive against the Syrian army, in late November, ending over five decades of Baathist rule in less than two weeks and bringing the country’s 13-year long civil war to an end.
The first city HTS took control of was Aleppo. Two days before the collapse of the Syrian regime, Mazloum Abdi, general commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said they had been in contact with HTS, mainly regarding the Kurdish population in Aleppo.
The SDF is the armed wing of the SDC. They have not clashed with HTS.
HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani has sought to reassure Syrians, especially minorities, who are concerned about what could lie ahead for their country.
HTS is the former Syrian branch of al-Qaeda and the prominent force among dozens of rebel factions. The group has long controlled a rebel enclave in the northwestern province of Idlib. It has been internationally recognized as a terrorist organization.
Following the regime’s collapse, the HTS formed a transitional government headed by Mohammed al-Bashir, set to remain in power until March 2025.
At the start of Syria’s conflict, Kurds in the northeast carved out an area of control, partnering with international forces to battle the Islamic State (ISIS) and building their own armed force and civic administration.
