Al Jolani, the leader who broke with Al Qaeda, became moderate and overthrew Assad

Afp

La Jornada Newspaper
Monday, December 9, 2024, p. 21

Cairo., Abu Mohamed al Jolani, the Islamist leader of the Syrian rebel coalition that caused the fall of President Bashar al Assad, has modified his fundamentalist speech to adopt a moderate tone in order to achieve his goals.

At the head of the pro-Turkish group Hayat Tahrir Sham (HTS), which has its origins in the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda, Al Jolani stated from the beginning that the objective of his offensive was to overthrow Al Assad.

Over the years he also stopped wearing the usual turban of jihadists and opted for military clothing.

Since breaking ties with Al Qaeda in 2016, Jolani has tried to appear more moderate. However, it still raises suspicions among Western analysts and governments.

He is a radical pragmatistsays Thomas Pierret, a specialist in Islamic politics, to the AFP agency.

In 2014 he was at the peak of his radicalizationhe explains in reference to the period of the war in which he tried to rival the Islamic State (IS).

Born in 1982, Al Jolani grew up in Mezeh, an exclusive district of Damascus. His family was wealthy and he was a good student.

▲ Abu Mohamed al Jolani, leader of the Syrian rebel coalition HTS.Photo Afp

During the lightning offensive launched on November 27, he began signing statements with his real name: Ahmed Sharaa.

In 2021, he explained to the American network PBS that his nom de guerre evokes his family roots in the Golan Heights, where his grandfather had to flee after the Israeli annexation of the area in 1967.

According to the news portal Middle East EyeAl Jolani began to be attracted to jihadist postulates after the 9/11 attacks in the United States.

After the US invasion of Iraq, he left Syria and joined Al Qaeda; He spent five years in detention, which prevented him from climbing the jihadist organization.

In March 2011, when the revolt against Al Assad broke out, he returned home and founded the Al Nusra Front, the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda.

In 2013 he refused to swear allegiance to Abu Bakr Baghdadi, who would become the emir of IS, and favored the leader of Al Qaeda, Ayman Zawahiri.

A realist in the eyes of his followers, an opportunist in the eyes of his adversaries, Jolani said in May 2015 that he, unlike IS, did not plan to attack the West.