In response, a demonstration took place today in Rankus denouncing the deliberate actions of the STG’s security forces and defending the innocence of those detained. Protesters clashed with law enforcement, which struggled to contain the demonstrators. Under the guise of the “war on terror,” the Syrian Transitional Government is carrying out arrests and eliminations of dissidents within terrorist groups that do not align with the new state Jolani aspires to create. Popular discontent is growing significantly in areas that have traditionally been rebel strongholds but have remained outside the control of HTS/Al-Nusra.