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Man of The Moment: Abu Muhammad Al-Julani

Abu Muhammad al-Julani is the man of the moment. He was declared dead a week ago but emerged as victor and marched triumphant in the Syrian capital Damascus Sunday Dec 8, 2024

Monday December 9, 2024 11:23 AM, Team ummid.com with inputs from Agencies

[Abu Muhammad al Julani after leading the Syrian opposition to victory on Sunday December 08, 2024.]

While addressing a conference held in Tell Rifaat in May 2023, Abu Muhammad al-Julani had said they were very close to conquering Aleppo and later overthrow Bashar al Assad. One and a half year later in November 2024, al Julani entered Aleppo as victor.

Within a week of conquering the second largest city of Syria, al Julani-led Syrian fighters took Hama and Homs under their control, finally conquering Damascus and ending over 50-year brutal regime of the Assad family on December 08, 2024.

Abu Muhammad al-Julani is the man of the moment. He was declared dead a week ago but emerged victor and marched triumphant in the Syrian capital Damascus even as celebrations erupted in whole of Syria and abroad where Syrians were forced to live as refugees.

[Abu Muhammad al-Julani at a conference held in Tell Rifaat in May 2023.]

Interestingly, the same al-Julani - who had been designated as a “global terrorist” by the US State Department with a $10 million reward for information leading to his capture in May 2013, was seen giving interview to American broadcaster CNN on December 06, 2024.

Aware of his international image, Al Julani in an interview conducted by American journalist Martin Smith in early February 2021, had asserted that Tahrir al-Sham is no threat to the United States and hence the US government should remove the group from its “terrorist list”.

Of late, Al Julani united all Syrian factions fighting against Bashar al Assad regime and formed a coalition of the Military Operations Command led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied Turkish-backed groups in the Syrian National Army (SNA).

“We want to build a new Syria where everyone and people of all sects will live together in peace”, Al Julani said while talking to CNN.

“People of different sects are living in Syria since centuries. No one has the right to kill or eliminate anyone”, he said.

[Abu Muhammad al-Julani in an interview with the American broadcaster CNN on December 06, 2024.]

In a series of statements released after Nov 27, 2024, al Julani, who had also fought against the ISIS Chief Abu Bakr Baghdadi, asked his fighters to stay calm, treat people with kindness, and stay from any kind of violence against the civilians.

He also announced amnesty to the “Syrian security forces”, possibly because of which a good number of "the government forces” surrendered without fighting.

Syrian opposition fighters conquered Damascus in lightning speed with the latest offensive starting on Nov 27 and ending on Dec 08, 2024. Abu Julani however said the preparations for the final assault o the Assad regime was on since the last 5 years.

Here is a brief profile of Abu Muhammad al-Julani

Abu Mohammed al-Julani, born Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa in 1982 in the Saudi Capital Riyadh. His father was petroleum engineer. The family migrated to Syria in 1989 and settled in the Golan Heights region of Syria. Al-Julani rose from the ranks of what is billed as “jihadist insurgent” to become one of the most significant figures in the Syrian conflict.

The nickname "Al-Jolani" or "Al-Golani" is derived from the name of the Golan Heights, which the Israeli regime captured and annexed to its territory in the 1967 war.

Al Julani’s journey from a foot soldier in Iraq to the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is a testament to his strategic maneuvering within the volatile landscape of "Middle Eastern terrorism".

Abu Muhammad Al-Jolani went at the age of 16 to assist the Iraqis in booting the Americans where he was jailed and tortured by them.

Early Years and Rise in Iraq

Al-Julani's militant career began in Iraq, joining Al-Qaeda under Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. He is said to have been involved in some of the bloodiest attacks during the U.S. occupation in Iraq.

Following Zarqawi's death, al-Julani was captured by the U.S. forces and imprisoned in Camp Bucca, often referred to as an "ISIS incubator". Here, he was in close quarters with future ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi but later fought against him.

Formation of Jabhat al-Nusra

With the onset of the Syrian Civil War, al-Baghdadi tasked al-Julani with establishing Al-Qaeda's presence in Syria. Thus, Jabhat al-Nusra was born, quickly becoming one of the most formidable groups opposing the Assad regime.

The relationship between Jabhat al-Nusra and ISIS soured when al-Baghdadi announced their merger into ISIS, a move al-Julani rejected, choosing instead to pledge allegiance directly to Al-Qaeda's global leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri.

"I didn't want to bring to Syria what I had seen in Iraq", al Julani told the CNN.

[ISIS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi announced bounty to kill Abu Muhammad al-Julani.]

This led to what was known as the "jihadist civil war" between the two groups. The differences between the two reached at such a level that al Baghdadi ordered assassination of al Julani and announced bounty for anyone who would kill the HTS leader.

Transition to HTS

In 2016, al-Julani announced the rebranding of Jabhat al-Nusra to Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, an attempt to distance the group from Al-Qaeda's international “terrorism label”, although it was seen by many as a cosmetic change to garner more support and funding.

Masjid in #Syria plays Takbir after the fall of #Assad regime Sunday December 08, 2024 even as a wailing women is heard in the background. pic.twitter.com/WnWWAPZT1S

— ummid.com (@ummid) December 8, 2024

By 2017, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham merged into Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, with al-Julani at its helm. The HTS has since controlled significant territory in Idlib, where it has tried to establish a semblance of governance, including a "Salvation Government" to manage civilian affairs.

In his Idlib Islamic statelet, Julani’s priorities were institution building and professionalization, clean streets, irrigation, agricultural productivity, streamlined permit approvals, and industrial development.

International View and Current Status

Al-Julani was designated a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist" by the U.S. since 2013, with a $10 million reward for information leading to his capture.

Despite these labels, the HTS, under his leadership, engaged in media efforts to reframe its image, notably through interviews with leading publications and broadcasters like PBS Frontline and CNN.

Al-Julani's biography is a complex narrative of “terrorism”, “power struggles”, and attempts at legitimacy in the shadow of war-torn Syria. His actions continue to shape not only the conflict within Syria but also the broader discourse on how the international community deals with non-state actors in the Middle East.

As on today, Abu Muhammad al-Julani is seen as a “skilled politician” and a “renowned military commander” who united all the “Mujahideen” in Syria and finally ending the brutal rule of Bashar al Assad.

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