Who is the rebel commander who seized the Syrian capital?

The rebel commander who captured the Syrian capital is linked to the Al-Qaeda group. The US government has set his price at $10 million
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President Bashar al-Assad left the country after the rebels captured the capital of Syria. President Assad was forced to leave the country after the Islamic rebel group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) captured the capital as well.
In 2011, a peaceful protest against President Bashar al-Assad started. This protest by pro-democracy activists later turned into a civil war.
In this civil war, not only Syria, but also other regional and world powers joined. Russia, Iran and Iranian-backed militias were on the side of Syria and the US was on the side of the rebel HTS.
Since then, more than 500,000 people have been killed and 12 million people have been displaced in the war.
Who is the commander of the HTS rebel group? Who bowed down to the Syrian government forces and the president was forced to leave the country?
According to the international media, the head of the rebel group HTS is Abu Mohammad Al-Zulani. The US had set a price of $10 million on his head. He is accused of human rights violations. But he tries to identify himself as a liberal leader in front of the world.

Birth and age disputed

The real name and age of Abu Mohammad al-Julani is disputed. In February 2021, the American broadcaster PBS aired an interview with Al-Zulani. At that time, he said his name was ‘Ahmed Al Shara’. He was born in the Saudi capital of Riyadh. His father worked in Riyadh. But his upbringing took place in the capital of Syria, Damascus. Therefore, he says he is a Syrian citizen.

However, in another report, it is said that he was born in a place called Deir Ezzor in Eastern Syria. According to the United Nations and European Union reports, he was born between 1975 and 1979. Interpol mentioned his birth year 1979. But in As Safir’s report, his birth date is mentioned in 1981.

According to media reports, he studied medicine before joining the rebel group.

How did he become the leader of the rebels?

After the US and coalition forces invaded Iraq in 2003, Al-Julani joined the Al-Qaeda insurgent group there. US-led coalition forces removed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and his Ba’ath Party from power. But various rebel groups resisted.

Al-Julani was arrested by US forces in Iraq in 2010. He was held in a prison near Kuwait called Camp Bucca. In the same prison, he met other rebel leaders who formed the Islamic State (IS) group. It is said that he also had contact with IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi from there.

After being released from prison, al-Julani said in the media – when the armed conflict against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began in 2011, al-Baghdadi started the homework of sending al-Julani there. Al-Julani was eventually made the commander of the armed group Jabhat al-Nusra. It had secret ties with the Islamic State. The war led by Zulani achieved success in many places.

In 2013, Al-Zulani broke the Nusra Front’s ties with IS and joined Al-Qaeda. However, in a recorded message in 2016, he announced that he had broken ties with al-Qaeda.

According to Al-Julani, in 2017, other Syrian rebel groups merged with Al-Nusra, which he led. Then, the ‘Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’ group was formed. Al-Julani remained at its head.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
This Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group is now the one that has captured the main cities of Syria, including the capital Damascus, and forced President Bashar al-Assad to leave the country. This group has ended the 50-year rule of the Assad family in Syria.

What kind of leader is Al-Julani?

The HTS, led by al-Julani, was a rebel group active in Idlib and surrounding areas in northwestern Syria. The group runs a separate government in Idlib province. It works like a local government to maintain health, education, and internal security.
In 2020, HTS attacked an Al-Qaeda military camp in Idlib, capturing weapons and capturing some leaders. It also stopped the Islamic State’s activities in Idlib.
As al-Julani told the American broadcaster PBS in 2021, he has not followed the same strategy as Al-Qaeda. His main goal was to remove Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power and establish an Islamic regime. Assad’s removal from power was also the goal of the United States and Western countries. He had said that we are not a threat to European and American security.
HTS has imposed Islamic law in the areas under its control. The BBC reported that this law is looser than other groups. HTS publicly appears liberal towards Christians and non-Muslim communities. Therefore, other rebel groups also criticize it.
However, human rights organizations accuse HTS of committing human rights violations. Al-Julani has denied this. Julani-led HTS is classified as a terrorist group by Western and Middle Eastern governments and the United Nations Security Council. Because of al-Julani’s past ties to al-Qaeda, The US government has offered a $10 million reward for the information. Agency