India on Syria as rebels take over: ‘Need to work towards preserving unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity’

India said Monday it is monitoring the situation in Syria and called on all stakeholders to “work towards preserving the unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity” of the West Asian country.

In a brief statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, the government said, “We advocate a peaceful and inclusive Syrian-led political process respecting the interests and aspirations of all sections of Syrian society.” The embassy in Damascus, the Syrian capital, “is in contact with the Indian community, for their safety and security”, the government also said.

The MEA’s statement comes amid chaos in Syria following Islamist-led rebel factions’ lightning advance into the capital over the past two weeks, which forced President Bashar al-Assad to flee the country Sunday; Russian news agencies have since claimed he is in Moscow.

The leader of the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group claimed a “historic” victory Sunday in a speech from a landmark mosque in Damascus. “This victory, my brothers, is for the entire Islamic nation…” he said from the Umayyad Mosque in a video shared by the HTS on Telegram.

“Today, Syria is purified…. this victory is born from mujahideen (fighters) who languished in prison,” Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, now using his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa, said.

HTS is rooted in the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda, from which it ties in 2016. Labelled a ‘terrorist organisation’ by Western governments, HTS has sought to soften its image in recent years.

al-Assad’s government fell over 13 years after a crackdown on anti-government protests ignited Syria’s brutal civil war, which has involved foreign powers, jihadists and killed over 500,000.