The clashes and crDAESH in Syria continue after Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) took over the government on 8 December 2024. After taking control, HTS started massacres against Alawites and Druze. 

 

In addition to HTS's attacks, Turkey's attacks against Autonomous Adminsitration continue. The agreement signed on 10 March 2025 between the Autonomous Administration and the Syrian Interim Government has not yet progressed. 

 

Ekrem Berekat, who has been working as a journalist in the field in North and East Syria for many years, noted that HTS has seized power in Syria but has no political and social project. Berekat said that the crDAESH that Syria has been in for years has turned into a feudal crDAESH with HTS and reminded the massacres against Alawites and Druze. Noting that there were attacks against Druze, Murshid and Christians, Barekat said: "When they attacked Druze, Israel opposed, when they attacked Christians, Europe opposed. But when they attacked Alevis, everyone kept silent."

 

He said that HTS also had plans to attack the Autonomous Administration, but they were waiting because they did not trust their forces. Looking at these situations, he said that HTS is leading Syria to division and added: "Those who say that the autonomous administration is breaking Syria apart do not actually want to see this. HTS will lead Syria to division as it is. Because they have not come together within the framework of an idea, the groups have come together within the scope of certain agreements. They cannot get anywhere with this understanding. Turkey is also behind them."

 

'TURKEY IS MAKING PROVOCATIONS'

 

Stating that Turkey's attacks on Autonomous Administration continue uninterruptedly, Berekat said that the reason for the increasing attacks in recent days is the agreement signed between the Damascus Administration and the Autonomous Administration on 10 March. He noted that the Damascus administration has not fulfilled the terms of the agreement so far and that the agreement is progressing slowly. 

 

"On the one hand, there are DAESH attacks. Apart from the attacks, Turkey is trying to create political and bureaucratic provocations. Turkey aims to melt the administration of Northern and Eastern Syria into the Damascus administration. There is a great effort in this direction. However, so far these efforts have not yielded any results."

 

'SYRIA CANNOT BE REBUILT WITHOUT AUTONOMOUS GOVERNANCE'

 

Following Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan's call for peace and a democratic society, Berekat noted that the Autonomous Administration and the Damascus government were aimed to act within the framework of an agreement, and that the aim was to ensure the success of the process in Turkey, adding that there were attempts to sabotage the process with the attacks. 

 

Berekat said that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan spoke like the "governor of Syria" and added that the Damascus administration did not attend the planned meeting in Paris due to Turkey's interventions. 

 

Berekat noted that HTS should be aware that it is not possible for Syria to rebuild Syria without the Autonomous Administration, nor to ensure its territorial integrity, and said: "We can even say that it is not possible for HTS to remain in power without the Autonomous Administration."   

 

'DRUZE FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE OF THE AUTONOMOUS ADMINISTRATION'

 

Berekat stated that the Druze do not trust the HTS, especially with the images that emerged after the HTS attacks on Suwayda, and therefore they want to govern themselves, and said that they take the Autonomous Administration as an example for themselves. 

 

Emphasising that the massacres and attacks that the international press did not reflect to the public reached the world thanks to the Free Press, Berekat noted that countries such as America and France changed their approach towards HTS due to the massacres committed by HTS. 

 

'TURKEY MUST LEAVE SYRIAN TERRITORY'

 

Barakat said that HTS does not allow the protests of the Autonomous Administration and the peoples of Syria, and that efforts are being made to implement the 10 March agreement. He said that in order to stop the war, HTS's policies that ignore different circles - such as not holding parliamentary elections in the cities of Hasakah, Souweida and Raqqa - must change. 

 

Berekat added: "Above all, Turkey must withdraw its forces from Syrian territory. Frankly, if there is a shame at the moment, it is that the Damascus administration does not recognise the Turkish forces here as occupiers. Education in Afrin is in Turkish, money is in Turkish currency. Everything has been Turkified. This is the case wherever Turkey is present. Turkey must get out of these places and the local people must be allowed to return. These steps need to be taken. All attacks must be stopped along with them. Otherwise, there is no way to find a solution in Syria."

 

MA / Ahmet Kanbal