Birthplace of Assad's father celebrates end of regime despite unease over Syria's future

Mausoleum of late Syrian leader Hafez Al Assad stormed and set ablaze by rebels

Rebel fighters display their flag inside the burnt-out mausoleum of Hafez Al Assad in Qardaha, Syria. AFP

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The mausoleum of late Syrian leader Hafez Al Assad, father of deposed president Bashar Al Assad, has become a site of celebration after rebels seized the town of Qardaha in the coastal Latakia region, with fighters parading through the area firing celebratory gunshots into the air.

“They made this mausoleum a symbol to honour Assad, but we refuse to honour an oppressive regime,” said a member of Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS), the Sunni Muslim group formerly affiliated with Al Qaeda that led rebels in toppling the president last weekend. Civilians joined the festivities, borrowing weapons from rebels to fire shots inside the tomb.

The once-revered marble monument, located in the elder Assad's hometown, was stormed and set ablaze by the rebels. Smoke blackened the walls while ashes and shattered glass littered the floor. “They spent millions on monuments while people are starving,” the rebel fighter said.

But some locals had mixed feelings. “Who is benefiting from all these fires?” asked Tamam, an Alawite resident of the town, looking at the scene.

The Assad regime was underpinned by his Alawite minority, which dominated Sunni-majority Syria after Alawite officers took power in a 1963 coup. In 2011, the younger Assad violently suppressed a peaceful uprising against his regime, sparking a civil war that killed more than 500,000 people and displaced 12 million.

But on Sunday, rebels led by HTS seized Damascus, ending more than five decades of the Assad family's autocratic rule.

The National saw the road to Qardaha strewn with Syrian army tanks abandoned by regime soldiers who fled without a fight as the rebels advanced. Pictures of Bashar Al Assad lining the road were destroyed.

At the mausoleum, Hafez Al Assad’s charred casket was dragged outside. Rebels took selfies with their feet on it. Graffiti on the outer wall read: “Let your soul be cursed, Hafez.”

Despite Qardaha being the elder Assad's hometown, residents said they had long ceased supporting the regime. The Alawite-majority village has been neglected, with empty streets, closed shops, and only two hours of electricity a day. Salaries for conscripts amount to just a few dozen US dollars.

But Alawites there kept their frustration hidden, fearing violent repression. “Assad prisons were full of all sects, and the repression of the Alawite minority was even more intense because it was considered inside the family, inside the house. One small word from the community was considered a crime,” said one Alawite, Mazen Kheir, while sitting with friends at home.

For the first time, Qardaha residents were speaking openly, discussing the revolution and the uncertainties facing the nation.

Oujoud Salah, a teacher in Qardaha, said she at first felt joy when the younger Assad fled the country at the weekend. But some minorities fear the rebels may impose another form of autocratic rule, despite reassurances from HTS leaders that they will be protected.

HTS has sought to moderate its rhetoric and distance itself from its extremist roots. On Thursday, Mohammed Al Bashir, the transitional head of government until March 1, said all rights would be respected.

“So far we haven’t seen anything worrying,” said Ms Salah. But she was uneasy about the armed men in the streets of Qardaha and celebratory gunfire at the mausoleum. “Why fire shots into the air? It scares the children,” she added.

“We need to surrender the weapons. It’s time to build a nation of peace and security.”