Who Is Abu Mohammed Al-Golani, The Leader Of The Insurgency That Toppled Syria's Assad? | rssama.com

BEIRUT (AP) — Abu Mohammed al-Golani, nan militant leader whose stunning insurgency toppled Syria’s President Bashar Assad, has spent years moving to remake his nationalist image, renouncing longtime ties to al-Qaida and depicting himself arsenic a champion of pluralism and tolerance. In caller days, nan insurgency moreover dropped his nom de guerre and began referring to him by his existent name, Ahmad al-Sharaa.

The grade of that translator from jihadi extremist to would-be authorities builder is now put to nan test.

Insurgents power superior Damascus, Assad has fled into hiding, and for nan first clip aft 50 years of his family’s robust hand, it is an unfastened mobility really Syria will beryllium governed.

Syria is location to aggregate taste and belief communities, often pitted against each different by Assad’s authorities and years of war. Many of them fearfulness nan anticipation Sunni Islamist extremists will return over. The state is besides fragmented among disparate equipped factions, and overseas powers from Russia and Iran to nan United States, Turkey and Israel each person their hands successful nan mix.

The 42-year-old al-Golani ― branded a violent by nan United States ― has not appeared publically since Damascus fell early Sunday. But he and his insurgent force, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, aliases HTS – galore of whose fighters are jihadis ― guidelines to beryllium a awesome player.

For years, al-Golani worked to consolidate power, while bottled up successful nan state of Idlib successful Syria’s northwest area arsenic Assad’s Iranian- and Russian-backed norm complete overmuch of nan state appeared solid.

He maneuvered among extremist organizations while eliminating competitors and erstwhile allies. He sought to polish nan image of his de-facto “salvation government” that has been moving Idlib to triumph complete world governments and reassure Syria’s belief and taste minorities. And he built ties pinch various tribes and different groups.

Along nan way, al-Golani shed his garb arsenic a hard-line Islamist guerrilla and put connected suits for property interviews, talking of building authorities institutions and decentralizing powerfulness to bespeak Syria’s diversity.

“Syria deserves a governing strategy that is institutional, nary 1 wherever a azygous ruler makes arbitrary decisions,” he said successful an question and reply pinch CNN past week, offering nan anticipation HTS would yet beryllium dissolved aft Assad falls.

“Don’t judge by words, but by actions,” he said.

Al-Golani’s ties to al-Qaida agelong backmost to 2003, erstwhile he joined extremists battling U.S. troops successful Iraq. The Syrian autochthonal was detained by nan U.S. subject but remained successful Iraq. During that time, al-Qaida usurped like-minded groups and formed nan extremist Islamic State of Iraq, led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

In 2011, a celebrated uprising against Syria’s Assad triggered a sadistic authorities crackdown and led to all-out war. Al-Golani’s prominence grew erstwhile al-Baghdadi sent him to Syria to found a branch of al-Qaida called nan Nusra Front. The United States branded nan caller group arsenic a violent organization. That nickname still remains successful spot and nan U.S. authorities has put a $10 cardinal bounty connected him.

As Syria’s civilian warfare intensified successful 2013, truthful did al-Golani’s ambitions. He defied al-Baghdadi’s calls to dissolve nan Nusra Front and merge it pinch al-Qaida’s cognition successful Iraq, to shape nan Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, aliases ISIS.

Al-Golani nevertheless pledged his allegiance to al-Qaida, which later disassociated itself from ISIS. The Nusra Front battled ISIS and eliminated overmuch of its title among nan Syrian equipped guidance to Assad.

In his first question and reply successful 2014, al-Golani kept his look covered, telling a newsman for Qatari web Al-Jazeera that he rejected governmental talks successful Geneva to extremity nan conflict. He said his extremity was to spot Syria ruled nether Islamic rule and made clear that location was nary room for nan country’s Alawite, Shiite, Druze and Christian minorities.

In 2016, al-Golani revealed his look to nan nationalist for nan first clip successful a video connection that announced his group was renaming itself Jabhat Fateh al-Sham -– nan Syria Conquest Front ― and cutting its ties to al-Qaida.

“This caller statement has nary affiliation to immoderate outer entity,” he said successful nan video, filmed wearing subject garb and a turban.

The move paved nan measurement for al-Golani to asseverate afloat power complete fracturing militant groups. A twelvemonth later, his confederation rebranded again arsenic Hayat Tahrir al-Sham -– meaning Organization for Liberating Syria ― arsenic nan groups merged, consolidating al-Golani’s powerfulness successful northwest Syria’s Idlib province.

HTS later fought pinch independent Islamist militants who opposed nan merger, further emboldening al-Golani and his group arsenic nan starring powerfulness successful northwestern Syria, capable to norm pinch an robust fist.

With his powerfulness consolidated, al-Golani group successful mobility a translator that fewer could person imagined. Replacing his subject garb pinch garment and trousers, he began calling for belief tolerance and pluralism.

He appealed to nan Druze organization successful Idlib, which nan Nusra Front had previously targeted, and visited nan families of Kurds who were killed by Turkish-backed militias.

In 2021, al-Golani had his first question and reply pinch an American journalist connected PBS. Wearing a blazer, pinch his short hairsbreadth gelled back, nan now much soft-spoken HTS leader said that his group posed nary threat to nan West and that sanctions imposed against it were unjust.

“Yes, we person criticized Western policies,” he said. “But to costs a warfare against nan United States aliases Europe from Syria, that’s not true. We didn’t opportunity we wanted to fight.”

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