Simona Foltyn:
A show of force in the city of Latakia in the heartland of Bashar al-Assad’s Alawite sect. These Sunni fighters are from Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, the rebels turned rulers of Syria.
They are part of General Security, a heavily armed police force whose job it is to secure areas retaken from Assad’s forces. The former government was quickly toppled, but scores of loyalists remain on the run.
These patrols deploy every night in an effort to consolidate control over the city of Latakia, which used to be Assad’s bastion of support. And the situation here remains quite tense.
Assad’s enablers are often arrested on these missions. Abu Ayoub leads these sensitive operations and didn’t want to reveal his face, nor his real name.
Abu Ayoub, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham General Security (through interpreter): We arrest them immediately, so that there’s no sabotage and panic. We’re working with the people to arrest them and bring them to account.
We’re following up on any tips and act on anything that threatens our security, people and lands. God willing, we will deal with it.
