Part 3/8:
As the rebel coalition successfully captured Aleppo, the dynamics within Syria revealed a patchwork of alliances among various factions. Key players included Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group that had distanced itself from its prior connections to al-Qaeda and sought to present itself as a potential alternative governing body for Syria. Meanwhile, Kurdish forces in the east, known as Rojava, aligned their interests with those of HTS in a rare moment of cooperation amongst groups previously at odds.