Countries including the U.S., Turkey and Jordan are cautiously anticipating the transition of power in Syria after rebels ended a decadelong civil war, ousting authoritarian ruler Bashar al-Assad. Thousands of refugees returned home, while prisoners, including at least one American, have been freed.
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00:00Heading home, hundreds of Syrian refugees prepared to cross back into their homeland
00:05from Turkey and Lebanon after the end to a decade-long civil war.
00:09We want to go back to our country. We need to go back to our country, that's all we need.
00:20Rebel forces broke into prisons, where the regime led by ousted President Bashar al-Assad
00:25had detained tens of thousands of people, subjecting them to torture and mass killings.
00:31Among those released, a missing American who'd last been seen in Budapest.
00:36Where were you all this time?
00:37I was imprisoned in Damascus for the last seven months.
00:41But with Assad's fall, there's now uncertainty over the transfer of power in Syria.
00:45U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Turkey after visiting Jordan to discuss
00:50next steps with the country's neighbors.
00:52The U.S. is seeking an inclusive transition and stability in Syria.
00:57I've had many calls over the last days with partners in the region, and everyone's agreed
01:03on the need to have a unified approach to advance many of our shared interests.
01:09But uncertainty continues. Israeli forces have launched 400 attacks on Syria since Assad
01:14fled to Russia, striking what it claimed to be weapons manufacturing sites to prevent
01:19them from falling into the hands of the rebels that toppled the regime, many of whom are
01:23listed as terrorists by the U.S. and other countries.
01:27As they form their new government, it's unclear how much direction they'll take from regional
01:31stakeholders as they try to distance themselves from Assad and the horrors of the past decade.
01:36Kamishree and Tiffany Wong for Taiwan Plus.