The road to Idlib, a remote corner of northwestern Syria, still bears the traces of the old front lines: trenches, abandoned military bases, rocket shells and ammunition.

Until a little over a week ago, this was the only area in the country that was under the control of the opposition.

From Idlib, rebels led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, launched a surprise offensive that toppled Bashar al-Assad and ended his family's five-year dictatorship in Syria.

As a result, they have become the de facto authorities in the country and it seems that they are trying to bring their way of governing to the rest of Syria.

In central Idlib city, opposition flags, with a green stripe and three red stars, flew high in public squares and were waved by men and women, young and old, after Assad was removed. Graffiti on walls marked the opposition to the regime.

While destroyed buildings and piles of rubble were reminders of the not-so-long war, renovated houses, recently opened shops and well-maintained roads were proof that some things were has improved. But there were complaints about what was seen as heavy management by the authorities.

When we visited earlier this week, the streets were relatively clean, traffic lights and lampposts were working, and officers were present in the busiest areas. Simple things absent in other parts of Syria, and a source of pride here.

HTS has its origins in al-Qaeda but, in recent years, has actively sought to rebrand itself as a nationalist force, far removed from its jihadist past and intent on ousting Assad. go away.

As fighters marched into Damascus earlier this month, their leaders spoke of building Syria for all Syrians. However, it is still defined as a terrorist group by the US, the UK, the UN and others, including Turkey, which supports some Syrian rebels.

The group took control of most of this region, home to 4.5 million people, in 2017, bringing stability after years of civil war.

The administration, known as the Salvation Government, runs water and electricity distribution, waste collection and road paving.

Taxes collected from businesses, farmers and crossings by Turkey fund its public services - as well as its military operations.

"Under Assad, they used to say Idlib is the forgotten city," said Dr. Hamza Almoraweh, a cardiologist, as he treated patients in a hospital set up in a former office warehouse. the post

He moved from Aleppo with his wife in 2015 when the war there deepened, but he had no intention of returning, even with the city under rebel control.

"We have seen a lot of development here. Idlib has a lot of things that it didn't have under the Assad regime."

While measuring its tone, trying to gain international recognition among local opposition, HTS rolled back some of the strict social rules it imposed when it came to power, which ' introducing dress codes for women and banning music in schools.

And some point to recent protests, including against taxes imposed by the government, as proof that a certain level of criticism is being accepted, compared to the repression of the Assads.

"It is not a complete democracy, but there is freedom," said Fuad Sayedissa, an activist.

"There were problems at the beginning but, in the last years, they have been working in a better way and trying to change."

Sayedissa is from Idlib and now lives in Turkey, where he runs the non-governmental organization Violet. Like thousands of Syrians, Assad's fall meant he could visit his city again - in his case, for the first time in a decade.

But there have also been demonstrations against what some say is authoritarian rule. To consolidate power, experts say, the group targeted terrorists, including rivals and imprisoning opponents.

"It's a different story how the government will do in Syria," said Sayedissa. Syria is a diverse country and after decades of oppression and violence by the regime and her friends, many are thirsty for justice. "People are still celebrating, but they are also worried about the future."

We tried to interview a local official, but we were told that they had all gone to Damascus to help the new government.

An hour away from Idlib, in the small Christian town of Quniyah, the church bells rang for the first time in ten years on December 8 to mark the removal of Assad.

The community, close to the Turkish border, was bombed during the civil war, which began in 2011 when Assad crushed peaceful protests against him and many of its residents fled.

There were only 250 people left.

"Syria is better since the fall of Assad," said Friar Fadi Azar.

The rise of Islamists, however, has raised fears that ethnic minorities, including Assad's Alawites, could be at risk, despite messages from HTS reassuring religious and ethnic groups that they would the protection.

"In the last two years, they (HTS) started to change... Before that, it was very difficult," said Friar Azar.

Buildings were confiscated and religious ceremonies restricted.

"They gave (our community) more freedom, they asked other Christians who were exiles to come back to take back their land and their homes."

But is the change real? Can they be trusted? "What can we do? We have no other choice," he said. "We trust them."

I asked Sayedissa, the activist, why even opponents were willing to criticize the group.

"These are the heroes now ... (But) we have red lines. We will not allow dictators again, Jolani or any other," he said, referring to Ahmed al-Shara, the head of HTS who dropped his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Jolani after coming to power.

"If they become dictators, the people are ready to say no, because they have their freedom now."