'A lot of mistakes were made': The Londoner locked up in one of Syria's forgotten ISIS prisons

In December 2024, the toppling of Syria's former president Assad ended five decades of his family's dictatorial rule.

But the country, already crippled by nearly 14 years of civil war, terrorist activity and international sanctions, has been plunged into yet more instability.

Islamic State is among those trying to exploit this.

The lightning offensive which saw Assad flee was carried out by a rebel alliance led by the Islamist militant group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is still proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the UK, US and EU. The alliance also included Turkish-backed armed groups.

The country's new interim leader, Ahmed al Sharaa, once led Al Qaeda's Syrian affiliate before falling out and distancing himself from it more than a decade ago.

He's been on a global charm offensive, promising to unite a divided country and create an inclusive new Syria with protection for minorities. His many sceptics are waiting to see how sincere he is, and whether he can achieve it, given Syria's many schisms and regional politics.

One of his first acts was to order the disbanding of all armed groups, including his own HTS group, as well as the former regime's security agencies.

Revenge killings on 6 March in the West saw hundreds of people slaughtered, including among the minority Alawite sect (which the overthrown president Assad belonged to). It prompted widespread alarm that the transitional leader didn't have control of extreme elements within his new security forces.

The internet was awash with images of dead people looking very much like civilians, many with gunshot wounds to the head.

President Sharaa promised to punish those responsible. "Our people on the coast in the areas of conflict are part of our responsibility," he said. "It is our duty to protect them."

Within days, he announced a ground-breaking deal with the Kurdish-led SDF that controls the oil-rich northeast region. The agreement states the armed group will be integrated into the national army, there'll be a national ceasefire and control of an airport, border crossings, and oil and gas fields will pass to the national government.

The agreement also recognises Kurdish rights – after years of persecution under the Assad regime. If Sharaa can pull it off, it’s a massive breakthrough for the transitional president. It may also calm nerves among the Kurdish community, and other religious minorities, who feared they might be turned on next.