Weiss Mehrabi
The fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad marks a turning point not only for Syria but also for Islamist movements worldwide. For the Taliban, this moment is bittersweet. While the collapse of a rival regime offers a symbolic victory, the rise of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) poses a direct ideological and strategic challenge. HTS’s promises of inclusivity, tolerance of minorities, and democratic reform highlight the Taliban’s regressive policies and authoritarianism. Moreover, the Syrian rebels’ victory could inspire opposition movements within Afghanistan and embolden moderate Taliban officials to push back against their leader’s hardline rule.
The surprising advances of opposition forces in the Syrian civil war and the subsequent collapse of the Assad regime have sent shockwaves across the globe. The Arab world has watched Syrian developments with mixed emotions – hope for change but also concerns over instability. The Taliban, however, greeted the event with overt enthusiasm.
Several Taliban-affiliated social media accounts celebrated the recent successes of the rebels in Syria. On December 8, the Taliban extended congratulations to the HTS-led forces, the rebel groups that toppled the Assad government, expressing hope that the power transition in Syria would lead to the establishment of a government aligned with “the aspirations of the people and Islamic values.” In Kabul and other Afghan provinces, the Taliban marked the victory with celebrations, distributing sweets and rallies.
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