DAMASCUS: The State Department announced Friday that US diplomats are in Syria to meet with the country’s new leaders in an effort to get guarantees that they will be inclusive and moderate.
Although years of civil conflict and decades of abuses came to an end with the overthrow of former president Bashar al-Assad, it has sparked worries about women’s rights, the future of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region, and the rights of minorities.
In the first rally of its kind since Assad’s ouster, hundreds of protesters in Damascus called for women’s rights and democracy on Thursday.
Thousands protested in Qamishli, northeast Syria, in favor of a Kurdish-led army supported by the United States and facing pressure from Turkey and rebel fighters who are allies.
Assad was driven out of power by a rapid onslaught led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
