Syrian Man on Teesside Expresses Joy After Assad Regime’s Collapse

A Syrian resident of Teesside has expressed feeling “in a dream” after the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s government. Mouhyedin Alkhalil, who resides in Darlington, departed his native country in 2012 to avoid compulsory conscription into the military of the recently overthrown former president. The 32-year-old, who operates a street food enterprise, stated that he had been unable to communicate openly with his relatives since his departure, aiming to shield them from “trouble.” However, he noted that upon his arrival in the North East, he “knew what freedom” meant. Assad, who governed Syria for 24 years following his father’s passing, sought refuge in Russia after his administration was overthrown by the Islamist militant organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and associated rebel groups on Sunday. Following an initial stay in Lebanon, Mr. Alkhalil arrived in the UK in 2016, where he was welcomed by a couple in Darlington as part of a United Nations resettlement initiative. He established a Syrian street food stall, Falafel Fella, in 2018, and subsequently launched his first cafe in 2019. Reflecting on life in Syria since 2011, he described it as “living in a scary country.” He stated: “You can’t say anything, you can’t even talk about your feelings and I thought we’re going to be like this forever.” Mr. Alkhalil further commented, “When you go to sleep you never know if you’re going to wake up in the morning,” noting that his family would celebrate his father’s safe return from work. He then added, “Syria is for Syria.” He expressed, “Syria is going to be a democratic country. Syria is going to be run exactly like the UK.” “We lost so many lives to come to this point,” he concluded.