From radicals to revolutionary: Syria's rebel leader in the Blazer

From radicals to revolutionary: Syria's rebel leader in the Blazer

ahmed al Sharaa, an Islamist militant in early 20, Men from Iraq back to Syria and received $ 50,000 from Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi a month, which later was the most sought-after terrorist. His goal was to found the Syrian subsidiary of Al Qaeda, Jabhat Al Nusra.

Jolani's influence grew over the years, although his identity was kept secret. In television interviews he always covered his face. He made his public debut in a 2016 Video in which he announced a separation of al Qaeda and one in Syria Focused anti-regime front founded with other local factions, which was first renamed Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (front for conquering the Levante) and later to Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS).

The change into a moderate guide

"This new formation has no connection to any external actors," he emphasized at the time, and distanced himself from his radical Islamist past. The fracture was strategic to avert attacks from great powers such as the USA and Russia who had intervened in the Syrian conflict to combat Islamist groups such as Al Qaeda and ISIS. This marked the beginning of Jolani's gradual transformation from the classic anti-Western jihadist to a rather acceptable revolutionary. In 2021 he told PBS that he had no wish to fight western nations.

political reorientation and influence

In the years after, Jolani exchanged his jihadist camouflage clothing for a blazer in western style and a shirt. He establishes a half-technology government in Idlib, which is controlled by his group, and positioned himself as a trustworthy partner in regional and western efforts to contain the influence of Iran in the Middle East. He carried out operations against ISIS, including the top-class killing of the ISIS leader Abu Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi in 2023.

The challenge of internal control

"I think that everyone goes through phases and experiences in life ... the older you get, the more you learn and you learn until the last day of your life," he explained when CNN asked him after his transformation. This week, his group published his real name for the first time in a explanation in which the taking of Hama was announced.

handling of dissent and human rights violations

Human rights groups and local observers have raised the alarm about the latest treatment of dissidents in Idlib by HTS that the information that the group had carried out hard measures against protests and tortured and abused dissidents. Jolani told CNN that incidents of abuse in prisons were "not due to our command or our guidelines", and HTS had already taken account of the responsible persons.

The geopolitical landscape is changing

Despite the efforts to differentiate its group from extremist organizations, the US government continued to classify its new group as a terrorist organization and targeted members of HTS who once fought for Al Qaeda, which made his attempts at renovation appear as failed. But the situation in Syria and the Middle East has changed since then. The collapse of the Syrian regime could finally break through the so -called axis of resistance Iran - a network of allied regional states and militias. Jolani could push himself into a key role for this result, hoping to gain influence both in the region and in the west.