Rebel rule in Idlib hints at what the rest of Syria can expect

The Islamist group that now runs Syria has led everyday life for people in Idlib for seven years.

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Until a little more than a week ago, this was the only area in the country controlled by the opposition.

From Idlib, rebels led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, launched an astonishing offensive that toppled Bashar al-Assad and ended his family's five-decade dictatorship in Syria.

As a result, they have become the country's de facto authorities and appear to be trying to bring their way of governing to the rest of Syria.

In Idlib's city centre, opposition flags, with a green stripe and three red stars, were flying high in public squares and being waved by men and women, old and young, in the wake of Assad's removal. Graffiti on walls celebrated the resistance against the regime.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8ew16391rdo

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