HTS1 leader not only player in Syria's fast-changing future
Lyse Doucet, Chief international correspondent
"They arrived here worried about the Islamists," is how one source described the mood of Arab foreign ministers who flew into Doha on Saturday evening for urgent talks aimed at averting a collapse into chaos and bloodshed in Damascus.
Within hours, the powerful Islamist group driving the rebels' rise to power reported they had reached the centre of the Syrian capital.
The leader of Hayat Tahrir-al Shams, Abu Mohammad al-Jowlani, triumphantly announced "the capture of Damascus". Now he's using his real name, Ahmed al-Sharaa, rather than his nom de guerre 2as a sign of his sudden rise to a much greater national role.
He's certain to play a decisive part in defining Syria's new order after this sudden stunning end to a half century of repressive rule by the Assad family. But the leader of an organisation proscribed by the UN as well as western governments is not the only pivotal player on Syria's fast shifting scene.
"The story is not written yet," cautions Marie Forestier, senior Syria advisor for the European Institute of Peace. She, and other informed observers who happened to be attending the annual Doha Forum, point out that it was another rebel group, recently named as the Southern Operations room3, working with people living in the city, who surged into the capital. The ranks of this force are dominated by fighters from the former Free Syrian Army (FSA), who worked closely with western powers at the start of Syria's 2011 uprising,
"The game starts now," is how Ms Forestier describes the start of this momentous new chapter marked by an explosion of celebration in the streets, but also critical questions about what emerges next.
As the Islamist Hayat Tahrir-al Shams (HTS) pushed forward with astonishing speed, facing scant resistance, it sparked a rush by rebel forces in other regions of Syria as well as a surge of armed local groups keen to play a part in their own areas.
"Fighting the Assad regime was the glue that kept this de facto coalition together", says Thomas Juneau, Middle East expert at the University of Ottawa's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, who is also in Doha.
"Now that Assad has fled4, continued unity among the groups that toppled him will be a challenge," he says.
The groups include an umbrella alliance of Turkish militias known as the Syrian National Army who, like the HTS, dominated a corner of northwest Syria. In the northeast, the mainly Kurdish Syrian Defence Forces (SDF) groups have also gained ground and will be determined to hold on to their gains.
But HTS's ambitious high-profile leader has seized the spotlight. His rhetoric and record are now under scrutiny by Syrians, as well as in neighbouring capitals, and far beyond. The commander whose militia first emerged as an Al-Qaeda affiliate broke ranks with the jihadist group in 2016 and has been trying to polish his image since then. For years, he's sent conciliatory messages abroad; now he is reassuring Syria's many minority communities they have nothing to worry about.
Vocabulary
| avert | предотвращать что-либо плохое или опасное |
| bloodshed | кровопролитье |
| rebel | восставшие, протестующие |
| announce | объявлять, делать заявление |
| capture | захват |
| decisive | решающий, судьбоносный |
| stunning end | ошеломляющий конец |
| proscribed | объявленный вне закона |
| un | организация объединенных наций |
| pivotal | стратегический, важнейший, ключевой |
| shift | смена |
| advisor | советник |
| caution | предупреждение, предупреждать |
| surge | врываться, нахлынуть |
| momentous | исторический, знаменательный |
| push forward | наступать |
| astonishing speed | поразительная скорость |
| face | встречать, встречаться |
| scant | еле-еле, едва, малый |
| resistance | сопротивление |
| spark | разжигать, способствовать началу |
| rush | натиск, напор, спешка |
| keen | жаждущий |
| topple | свергать |
| gain | успех, достижение; получать, приобретать |
| seize the spotlight | захватить внимание |
| affiliate | помощник, компаньон |
| break ranks | выйти из строя, нарушить строй; разойдись! |
| break ranks with | разорвать связи, выступить против кого-то, раскритиковать |
Fill the gaps with provided words
| announce | spark | resistance | proscribed |
| avert | bloodshed | toppled | surged |
The gates opened and the crowd surg ed forward.
The two sides called a truce to avoid further bloo dshed
The diplomat worked tirelessly to av ert a crisis.
He announced to the crowd that the war was over.
The armed forces topple d the elected government in a bloodless coup (вооруженный захват власти).
Membership of any proscrib ed organization is a serious matter
His constant resi stance to authority has caused numerous conflicts.
The proposal would sp ark a storm of protest around the country
Translate the sentences using active vocabulary
Мы столкнулись со сложностями во время работы над проектом.
Нам вчера удалось предотвратить трагедию.
Полиция смогла предотвратить кровопролитье.
Вооруженные люди захватили концертный зал.
Вооруженные люди свергли правительство с поразительной скоростью.
Президент объявил о разрыве связей с правительством.
Вооруженные люди оказали сопротивление полиции.
Советник президента был объявлен вне закона.
1 Хайят Тахрир аш-Шам (ХТШ; араб. هيئة تحرير الشام — «Организация освобождения Леванта») — суннитская исламистская (салафитская) протурецкая террористическая группировка, участвующая в сирийской гражданской войне.
2 nom de guerre – псевдоним
3 Southern Operations Room – Штаб операций на юге (араб. غرفة العمليات الجنوبية) — сирийская повстанческая коалиция, состоящая из различных вооруженных племен друзов и группировок сирийской оппозиции в южных провинциях Сувайда и Кунейтра.[
4 flee – fled – fled – совершать побег
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