The case summarized Summary: Syrian rebel groups have taken over the capital Damascus and President Bashar al-Assad has left the country. Scenes of joy and chaos have been reported in the biggest cities after the takeover. Journalist Moutaz Abdulkareem tells of a previously censored press, but now he feels free to report without fear. He is worried about weapons that are not under control and it is uncertain what will happen next in the country. Many Syrians are both happy and scared now, and the future of Syria is difficult to predict. Despite the uncertainty, there is hope for a better future and a free Syria. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. After a dramatic week in which Syrian rebel groups have approached Damascus step by step, it became clear on Sunday night that they have taken control of the capital. US President Joe Biden spoke for the first time after the Assad regime fell. He looks at the situation with cautious optimism. – The regime has finally fallen. The regime that has tortured and killed hundreds of thousands of innocent Syrians, said Biden, who described the events of the past few days as historic. He said that it is now possible for the Syrian people to create a better future for the country. Rebel groups shoot in the air and celebrate in Damascus. Photo: Hussein Malla / AP – But this is also a time characterized by risk and uncertainty, said Biden, who says the US will work with its partners in Syria to help secure the country’s safe future. Biden emphasizes that IS should not be given the opportunity to re-establish itself in the country, and emphasizes that the goal for the time to come is to get an independent and independent government in place. – Syria’s future will be decided in the coming days. – What we are witnessing is a state collapse Hilde Henriksen Waage, professor of history at UiO and senior researcher at the Institute for Peace Research (Prio), says many Syrians are both happy and scared now. – HTS is, so to speak, the local team of Al Qaeda. It’s like choosing between plague and cholera, she says of the rebel group and President Assad. She therefore points out that the future of Syria is difficult to predict. Jonas Gahr Støre is positive that Assad’s regime has fallen, but is afraid that the power vacuum will lead to more chaos. Photo: Tom Balgaard / news It is an analysis Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre agrees with. – What we are witnessing is a state collapse, and what often comes out of a state collapse is more chaos, he says when he is a guest on Dagsrevyen. – One should be happy that a regime that grossly oppressed its people and led the country into civil war is gone, but what will come in its place, and what consequences it will have for Syria, is very unclear. Joy and chaos in the streets Afterwards, scenes of both joy and chaos unfolded in the biggest cities. The journalist whom news has spoken to over the phone tells of soldiers who do not know where they are going or what they are going to do. After the fall of the Assad regime on Sunday night, shocked and happy Syrians celebrated with both fireworks and gunfire in the streets. Reuters reports that Israel has carried out airstrikes against targets inside Damascus. According to local sources, they have, among other things, bombed a security complex used for military intelligence and a research center said to have been used by Iran to develop long-range missiles. Earlier there were reports that Assad had left the country. Now the Russian media Interfax reports, citing an unnamed source, that Assad has landed in Moscow with his family, and that he has been granted asylum in Russia. A photo which, according to the Russian media, should show Assad in Moscow, possibly originates from an earlier occasion. The picture was removed from the case on 08.12.2024 at 22.05. – The despot is gone – I saw soldiers who came from Homs. One of the soldiers told me that the Ministry of the Interior has been evacuated and that the police stations have been abandoned, says journalist Moutaz Abdulkareem to news. Moutaz Abdulkareem (41) has worked in the media for 19 years, and tells news that his career as a freelance journalist in Syria has been characterized by censorship and fear. – As journalists, we could not work freely before. We could only take pictures in a way that the regime wanted. I feared that someone would take revenge and attack us. Syrian Moutaz Abdulkareem says he is no longer afraid to be a journalist. Photo: Private The Assad regime has tightly controlled the media for over 20 years, and journalists have often been subjected to harassment, imprisonment and, in some cases, violence. Now Abdulkareem says that he is no longer afraid of being a journalist. – I was in the center and could film what I wanted. I filmed with my mobile without any problems. No one asked me to put down my mobile phone, as was the case before. But the driven journalist also talks about the chaos that has arisen after the rebel forces’ sudden takeover of power. – Right now there is a lot of shooting and chaos. There are groups that try to organize themselves to prevent guns from falling into the wrong hands. He also says that there have been Israeli airstrikes against several of the weapons depots of the Assad regime in Damascus. The explosions were so powerful that the house shook, he says. Scary situation Large crowds in the biggest cities have filled the streets since early Sunday morning to celebrate the fall of the Assad regime. Photos and videos show Syrians cheering and firing a barrage of shots into the air. – The situation now is frightening. Several people from the coast have left the city with their families because of the intense shooting. I think it will take several days before the picture becomes clear, says Abdulkareem. Activist Muhammed Fadel Allah believes the future in Syria will be better. Photo: Private Media activist Muhammed Fadel Allah (29), who has worked with media production for the rebel groups, tells news over the phone that the biggest challenge right now is weapons that are not under control. – I hope the weapons will be brought under control, and that the dream we have all worked for will be achieved, he says. – You have to remember that people, for more than 13 years, have experienced a lot of pain in and around Damascus. People have been struggling for many years. That is why there is such a reaction to the victory. Hope for a better future Although the situation is still very unclear, both Allah and Abdulkareem are finally seeing a light after over a decade of war. – I think the future will be better. We want Syria to become a state of law with institutions and justice, a Syria for all ethnic and religious groups. We have worked for this for many years, says Allah. Abdulkareem has two brothers he has not seen for eight years, and who have been wanted by the regime since they escaped from the army. – Today the tears flowed, and I was happy, because now I can finally see my siblings and relatives after many years. My parents are in Lebanon and I have a brother in Germany. Now he hopes for a better future and a free Syria. Interested in abroad? Listen to the foreign affairs editor’s podcast: Published 08.12.2024, at 15.18 Updated 08.12.2024, at 22.55
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