Huge Crowd Gathers in Damascus for First Friday Prayers After Assad’s Fall
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Tens of thousands of people have gathered at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus for Syria’s first Friday prayers since ex-President Bashar al-Assad was ousted in a lightning offensive by rebel forces.
Similar celebrations have been held in Aleppo, Hama, Daraa and other cities.
To celebrate the fall of the Assad regime, the Kurdish administration that controls areas of northeast Syria has issued an amnesty for prisoners held in territory under their control, The Associated Press news agency reported.
The military operations management of the victorious Syrian opposition groups said that security forces have been “heavily deployed” during today’s celebrations in Damascus.
“Public Security will deal firmly with anyone proven to be involved in shooting during the demonstrations,” a statement from the organization said.
“We call for adherence to peaceful behavior during demonstrations to preserve everyone’s safety.”
As Bashar al-Assad was toppled, Syrians in Syria and abroad have celebrated by replacing the flag of the regime with the flag adopted by opposition groups, Al Jazeera reported.
The regime flag’s red fess is replaced with green and three red stars represent the three main districts of Syria: Aleppo, Damascus and Deir Az Zor.
The removal of the al-Assad regime and the collapse of his government’s army have left three major groups in control of the country. While most Syrians are calling for unity, bringing together these groups and their interests will be a key challenge in the days ahead.
The main groups that control Syria are Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Syrian Democratic Forces, and the Turkish and Turkish-aligned Syrian rebel forces.
One of the top challenges the new Syrian administration will have to tackle is the economy. Syria was already in bad shape before the start of the civil war, but throughout the conflict, the country’s economic crisis further deepened.
