DAMASCUS, Dec 8 - Syrians marked the first anniversary of the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad and his iron-fisted rule on Monday, as the fractured nation struggles to find stability and recover after years of war.

Official celebrations are planned for the central Umayyad Square in Damascus, which has been packed with jubilant gatherings ahead of December 8, and in other parts of the country. Military parades are also expected.

Assad fled Syria for Russia a year ago as rebels commanded by Syria's new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, seized Damascus and ended his rule, more than 13 years into a war that spiralled out of an uprising against Assad.

Sharaa marked the occasion by performing dawn prayers at Damascus' Umayyad Mosque, according to the official SANA news agency. He was dressed in military fatigues like those he wore during the victorious rebel campaign spearheaded by his Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, the news agency reported.

Sharaa promised to build a just and strong Syria.

"From north to south and from east to west, God willing, we will rebuild a strong Syria with a structure befitting its present and past," he said, according to SANA.

SYRIANS URGED TO RALLY IN SHOW OF UNITY

Sharaa, a former al Qaeda commander, has ushered in big changes which have reshaped Syria's foreign ties. He has forged relations with the United States, won support from Gulf Arab states and Turkey, and turned away from Assad's backers Iran and Russia. Crippling Western sanctions have largely been lifted.

Sharaa has promised to replace Assad's brutal police state with an inclusive and just order.

But hundreds of people have been killed in bouts of sectarian violence, causing new displacements and fuelling mistrust among minorities towards Sharaa's government, as he struggles to bring all Syria back under Damascus' authority.

The Kurdish-led administration that runs the northeast banned gatherings or events on security grounds, citing increased ...