President Ahmed al-Sharaa said the country’s ‘battle against poverty’ had begun [Getty]
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Tuesday urged Syrians to join the “battle for reconstruction” as he spoke at an event in the northern city of Aleppo, which has been heavily damaged in regime bombing during the war.
The event, titled “Aleppo, the Key to Victory”, was held at the Aleppo Citadel’s amphitheatre to mark the “victory of the Syrian revolution” and the city’s liberation from Assad regime control.
Aleppo was the first city to fall in a rebel offensive in November and December, which eventually led to the collapse of the former regime and flight into exile of Bashar Al-Assad.
“Oh, great Syrian people, the battle of reconstruction has just begun. Let us all join hands and seek God’s help to create a bright future for a venerable country and a deserving people,” al-Sharaa said.
“Our war with the tyrants has ended and our battle against poverty has begun.”
The interim president paid tribute to the sacrifices of the people of Aleppo, which fell to rebel forces for the first time in December 2024 – shortly before the Assad regime’s collapse.
Parts of Aleppo, particularly a former rebel stronghold in the city’s east, were destroyed in regime offensives and years of regime bombing.
Abeer Fares, an official in the Public Relations Office of the Political Affairs Department, told The New Arab‘s Arabic-language sister site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, that the event was not only a celebration of Aleppo’s liberation but also a way of raising support for the families of those killed in the uprising from the city.
The event was also attended by figures who took part in the Syrian revolution and have now joined the state’s security apparatus. Among them was Mohammed Fawaz Qalb, a fighter from Hayaat Tahrir al-Sham’s (HTS) elite Red Headbands Brigade which participated in Aleppo’s liberation.
Speaking to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Qalb said his role in the surprise offensive to take the city was primarily in “intelligence, charting safe routes and identifying targets that were targeted in the operation”.
He added that his participation in an assault on the Assad regime’s frontlines in Qabran al-Jabal led to the “decisive blow that targeted the headquarters of the security committee responsible for security and military control of the province”.
Having toppled the Assad regime in December, Syria’s new rulers face the tumultuous task of unifying the country and repairing its economy battered by 14 years of war.
Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump announced in Riyadh that some sanctions would be removed from Syria – a move hailed by many Syrians as a step towards a new beginning for the country.
Trump’s announcement was followed by a statement from the European Union, which also said it would be removing sanctions on Syria.
Damascus has been campaigning to have sanctions removed and to attract foreign investment to rebuild war-torn Syria.
