Protests against powerful group persist in Syria’s last major rebel stronghold

By GHAITH ALSAYED
Associated Press

IDLIB, Syria (AP) — Members of Syria’s most powerful insurgent group in the country’s rebel-held northwest have fired bullets in the air and beaten up protesters with clubs, injuring some of them. The protesters have been demonstrating for weeks to demand the release of detainees and an end to the group’s rule. Protests took place Friday in areas including the provincial capital of Idlib and major towns. The protests are calling for the removal of the head of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, which holds hundreds of people in prison and previously had links to al-Qaida. After more than 13 years of civil war and half a million deaths, Idlib is the last major rebel stronghold in Syria.