Bloodthirsty terrorists or Syria's best hope? Syrians are divided about the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which led the offensive that resulted in the fall of Syrian dictator Bashar Assad last week.

"They are also sons of the country," Ghaith Mahmoud, 36, who fought against the Syrian government forces but has lived in Germany since 2016, told DW. "I don't know if they can run the country. But I do know that all the young men who fought as part of these groups now only want to go home."

Other ex-pats are less understanding.They don't think HTS, which is now heading the setup of a new, transitional government in the country, can be trusted.

HTS promised not to impose its Islamist politics on the religiously and ethnically diverse nation. But pictures of the HTS-appointed interim prime minister, Mohammed al-Bashir, raised alarm with some Syrians. He sat at a desk with two flags behind him — one was the green and black flag of the Syrian revolution, and the other was inscribed with an Islamic prayer.

The prayer features prominently on the Saudi Arabian flag and has also been used by extremist groups and the Taliban in Afghanistan.

What policies a new Syrian transitional government, installed with HTS backing, would put in place also raises questions about whether the rebel group should still be classified as a terrorist organization.

HTS was previously linked to extremist groups like al-Qaeda and the "Islamic State" (IS).That's why the United States designates HTS "a foreign terrorist organization" and the UK considers it a "proscribed terrorist organization."

The European Union has two lists sanctioning terror groups. One is autonomous to the EU, a spokesperson for foreign........

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