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PROFILE/ Who is Al-Jolani, the former ISIS man who turned democrat to take control of Syria!

2024-12-07 10:12:46Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
PROFILE/ Who is Al-Jolani, the former ISIS man who turned democrat to take
Abu Mohammad al-Jolani

" The Assad regime is over, all religious sects will have the right to coexist, Syria deserves an inclusive government, not an autocrat who makes decisions alone ."

This is what Abu Mohammad al-Jolani , the leader of the rebels who, after taking Aleppo, are marching towards Damascus, says  .

His aspiration is clearly to become the successor to Bashar al-Assad, the dictator who ruled Syria with an iron fist for a quarter of a century, as his father, Hafez, had done the same for the previous three decades.

"I've made bad decisions in the past, but people get wiser with age; it's human nature," Jolani added in an interview with CNN yesterday, aware of his past reputation as a country of 23 million people looks on the verge of collapse at his hands.

But who is really the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist movement he formed during the long Syrian civil war?

His group was born from al-Qaeda and ISIS, two terrorist organizations, but over the past decade it has severed ties with both.

For the United States, which imprisoned him in Iraq during the invasion to overthrow Saddam Hussein and then, after releasing him, placed a $10 million bounty on his head, he remains a jihadist, an Islamic extremist.

The Kurds, who until recently considered him an enemy, now express their willingness to negotiate with him if he provides them with the space they seek.

For his part, Jolani has recently expressed openness about relations with Putin's Russia, his sworn enemy until yesterday, as Assad's main military supporter.

Born in Saudi Arabia 42 years ago, Jolani moved to Damascus with his family as a child. He grew up in a middle-class, educated family and has unquestionable charismatic abilities as well as political and military acumen.

He says he was radicalized during the Second Palestinian Intifada in 2000.

It joined al-Qaeda during the war in Iraq, but then abandoned the ideology of a global holy war against the West, distanced itself from ISIS, and followed a path of Syrian nationalism, certainly in the name of Islam, but without jihadist declarations.

He has governed Idlib, the Syrian city that has been his stronghold, with moderation and pragmatism.

During the Covid pandemic, the population said it was better administered by the Ilan rebels than by the Assad government.

As he advances towards Damascus, the HTS leader proclaims religious tolerance.

This week, before launching the offensive from Aleppo, speaking as someone who already feels like a national leader, he declared that his movement could be dissolved and that Syria's social diversity would be respected.

Middle East experts warn that Jolani is not a liberal democrat.

The journalist who interviewed him for CNN was wearing a headscarf.

But he may not be a Taliban-type fundamentalist, also because Syria is not Afghanistan.

If he is Assad's successor, time will tell whether Syrians and the Middle East have won or lost./ CNN


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