Why Kurds face an uncertain future in Ahmed Al-Shara’s rebel-led Syria

By Pinar Dinc, Associate Professor of Political Science, Department of Political Science & Researcher, Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies, Lund University

More than a month has passed since Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, the leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militant group, became the de facto leader of Syria. Since then, he has dropped his nom de guerre in favour of his real name, Ahmed al-Shara, and has swapped his military attire for a suit and tie.

The change in government has led to cautious optimism among Syrians who have been celebrating the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.…

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