[Ahmed Al Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, is a leading figure in the Syrian rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad. He was born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to Syrian parents and was raised in Damascus. Jolani’s early life was marked by his family’s experiences with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and the Palestinian Intifada, which galvanized him to become a jihadist in Iraq following the 2003 US invasion.
In 2011, Jolani moved to Syria with six men and a monthly stipend of $50,000 from Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who would later become the world’s most wanted terrorist. His mission was to establish Al Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate, Jabhat Al Nusra, which he ended up commanding thousands of men.
Jolani’s identity remained under wraps for years, and he only appeared in public with his face covered. However, in 2016, he announced a split from Al Qaeda and formed a new group, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (the Front for the Conquest of the Levant), which later changed its name to Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS), or the Organization for the Liberation of the Levant.
In recent years, Jolani has transformed his image, adopting a Western-style blazer and shirt, and promoting himself as a partner in regional and Western efforts to curb Iran’s influence in the Middle East. He has also conducted operations against ISIS, including the killing of ISIS leader Abu Hussein Al-Husseini al-Qurashi.
Jolani has also executed a softening of his views, saying he no longer desires to wage war against Western nations. He has established a semi-technocratic government in Idlib, which his group controls, and has worn a green military fatigue in public appearances.
However, despite his rebranding efforts, Jolani’s group, HTS, has been designated as a terror organization by the United States, and his attempts to distance himself from extremist organizations have been met with skepticism. Human rights groups have raised concerns about HTS’s treatment of dissidents in Idlib, and some have alleged that the group has conducted harsh crackdowns on protests and tortured and abused dissenters. Jolani denied these allegations, saying that incidents of abuse in prisons were not done under his orders or direction.
Jolani’s ultimate goal is to play a key role in a potential collapse of the Syrian regime, which could break the so-called Axis of Resistance, a network of allied regional states and militias. He hopes this will earn him favor both in the region and with the West.
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