Assad, our nation’s “father,” wasn’t born of loyalty; it was a survival tactic, rooted in generational terror that he was passing on to me. As I learned more about my country’s history, the imposed paternal connection between me and “Baba Hafez” began to fuel my already budding daddy issues.

Rebel group HTS trained up its own militia, developing a “comprehensive military doctrine”, and developed new weapons. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad arrived in Russia on Sunday after rebels seized control of Damascus, Russian state media said—a pivotal moment in the years-long civil war against the regime that has controlled Syria since the 1970s.