Source link : https://london-news.net/from-fugitive-to-freedom-fighter-chef-imad-alarnabs-journey-back-to-a-transformed-syria/
When chef Imad Alarnab escaped from Syria to London in 2015, he was convinced he would never set foot back in his homeland.
“When I departed from Damascus, I was certain that I had made the Assad regime’s blacklist. I had no intention of returning, as doing so would likely result in my death or abduction,” he recalled.
However, just last month, Mr. Alarnab traveled back to Syria for the first time after Bashar al-Assad was ousted by opposition forces last December.
“I fled Syria like a fugitive, but returned as a hero. The list of names that once threatened me is now a badge of honor,” he expressed.
Bashar al-Assad had governed Syria since 2000, succeeding his father Hafez, who seized power in 1971.
The Syrian civil war ignited in 2011, fueled by Assad’s ruthless crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations during the Arab Spring.
“In 2013, Damascus was dominated by Assad’s presence. His images filled the city, and his forces were omnipresent. It was quite terrifying,” Mr. Alarnab recounted.
“Carrying a camera was riskier than wielding a gun because they feared free expression far more than violence.”
While Assad’s grip on power seemed unshakeable, a swift offensive by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) opposition group brought his regime down in a matter of days.
“I was apprehensive about returning to find the same old Damascus, but it wasn’t. In fact, it was even better than I had imagined,” Mr. Alarnab said with relief.
“It’s a city striving…
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Author : rimmaruslan98@gmail.com
Publish date : 2025-12-07 17:58:00
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