Syrian insurgents capture central city of Hama
By Jordan Pagkalinawan
Syrian insurgents took hold of the central city of Hama days after capturing much of Aleppo, marking a significant setback for Syrian President Bashar Assad, according to the Associated Press.
The weeklong offensive is led by the insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) along with Turkish-backed Syrian militias known as the Syrian National Army. Their latest fight against President Assad has brought the country’s civil war, which began in 2011, back into the global spotlight.
HTS’s leader, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, said in a video message that fighters reached Hama in a “conquering that is not vengeful, but one of mercy and compassion.”
He added that forces aimed to “cleanse the wound that has endured in Syria for 40 years,” referring to the killing of 10,000 to 25,000 people in Hama in 1982 after the late President Hafez al-Assad sent in military forces to crush a Muslim Brotherhood uprising.
According to CNN, the rebels said they freed hundreds of “wrongfully detained” inmates from Hama’s central prison. Rebel commander Hassan Abdul Ghani declared, “We’re pleased to tell you that Hama has been completely liberated after our forces have finished combing operations.”
Dareen Khalifa, a senior adviser with the International Crisis Group, called the capture of Hama “a massive win for the rebels and a strategic blow for the [Syrian] regime.”
“I think then we are going to have to pause and consider whether or not this regime can actually survive this war,” she told the AP.
Following the capture of Hama, their sights are reportedly set on Syria’s third-largest city, Homs, which is 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Hama and the “gate” to the capital city, Damascus, per the AP.
“Assad now cannot afford to lose anything else. The big battle is the one coming against Homs. If Homs falls, we are talking of a potential change of regime,” Jihad Yazigi, editor of the newsletter Syria Report, said to Reuters.
A Damascus businessman with connections to the regime’s elite told NPR, “It’s over.”
“The regime is rotten,” he added. “You know, when there is absolute corruption in a society it cannot survive.”