![](https://i.imgur.com/CLvY2jA.png")
07-12-2024, 08:01 PM
Ahmed Al Sharaa, an Islamist militant in his late 20s, moved back to Syria from Iraq in 2011 with six men and a monthly stipend of $50,000 from Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who would go on to become world’s most wanted terrorist.
His mission was to establish Al Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate, Jabhat Al Nusra. Sharaa is now commanding thousands of men in an armed rebellion threatening to topple regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. He’s better known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani. Born in Saudi capital Riyadh to Syrian parents from Israeli-occupied Golan Hts, raised in Damascus.
Jolani interview with PBS in 2021 was galvanized by 2nd Palestinian Intifada (uprising) against Israel early 2000s went on to be a jihadist in Iraq after 2003 US invasion. His deep knowledge of Syria caught Syria’s rebel leader went from radical jihadist to revolutionary’
Mostafa Salem, Ahmed Al Sharaa, an Islamist militant in late 20s, moved back to Syria from Iraq in 2011 with six men and a monthly stipend of $50,000 from Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who would go on to become world’s most wanted terrorist. His mission was to establish Al Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate, Jabhat Al Nusra. Sharaa is commanding thousands of men in armed rebellion threatening to topple regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. He’s better known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani.
Over the years, his influence grew despite his identity being kept under wraps. During television interviews, he never faced camera directly, always covered his face in public appearances. His public debut was in a 2016 video when he announced a split from Al Qaeda to create what he said was a Syria-focused anti-regime front with other local factions, called Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (the Front for the Conquest of the Levant), which later changed to Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS), or the Organization for the Liberation of the Levant.
“New formation has no relation to any external party,” he distancing it from his radical Islamist past. Split strategic, goal was to fend off attacks from world powers like US & Russia, both had intervened in Syrian civil war to target Islamist groups like Al Qaeda & ISIS. It also start Jolani’s gradual transformation from classic anti-West jihadist, to a more palatable revolutionary. He told PBS in 2021 he had no desire to wage war against Western nations. (Western-style blazer) Years followed, Jolani replaced his jihadist attire for Western-style shirt, established a semi-technocratic govt . His deep knowledge of Syria caught his commanders in Iraq as were expanding their foothold in Syria his group held control, and promoted himself as a viable partner in region to curb Iran’s influence in Middle East. He conducted operations against ISIS including the 2023 high-profile killing of ISIS leader Abu Hussein Al-Husseini al-Qurashi.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/06/middleeas...index.html
His mission was to establish Al Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate, Jabhat Al Nusra. Sharaa is now commanding thousands of men in an armed rebellion threatening to topple regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. He’s better known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani. Born in Saudi capital Riyadh to Syrian parents from Israeli-occupied Golan Hts, raised in Damascus.
Jolani interview with PBS in 2021 was galvanized by 2nd Palestinian Intifada (uprising) against Israel early 2000s went on to be a jihadist in Iraq after 2003 US invasion. His deep knowledge of Syria caught Syria’s rebel leader went from radical jihadist to revolutionary’
Mostafa Salem, Ahmed Al Sharaa, an Islamist militant in late 20s, moved back to Syria from Iraq in 2011 with six men and a monthly stipend of $50,000 from Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who would go on to become world’s most wanted terrorist. His mission was to establish Al Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate, Jabhat Al Nusra. Sharaa is commanding thousands of men in armed rebellion threatening to topple regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. He’s better known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani.
Over the years, his influence grew despite his identity being kept under wraps. During television interviews, he never faced camera directly, always covered his face in public appearances. His public debut was in a 2016 video when he announced a split from Al Qaeda to create what he said was a Syria-focused anti-regime front with other local factions, called Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (the Front for the Conquest of the Levant), which later changed to Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS), or the Organization for the Liberation of the Levant.
“New formation has no relation to any external party,” he distancing it from his radical Islamist past. Split strategic, goal was to fend off attacks from world powers like US & Russia, both had intervened in Syrian civil war to target Islamist groups like Al Qaeda & ISIS. It also start Jolani’s gradual transformation from classic anti-West jihadist, to a more palatable revolutionary. He told PBS in 2021 he had no desire to wage war against Western nations. (Western-style blazer) Years followed, Jolani replaced his jihadist attire for Western-style shirt, established a semi-technocratic govt . His deep knowledge of Syria caught his commanders in Iraq as were expanding their foothold in Syria his group held control, and promoted himself as a viable partner in region to curb Iran’s influence in Middle East. He conducted operations against ISIS including the 2023 high-profile killing of ISIS leader Abu Hussein Al-Husseini al-Qurashi.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/06/middleeas...index.html
