Once featured prominently in their Most Wanted List, the American media houses have started showering praises on him, now! Abu Mohammad al-Julani (or Abu Mohammed al-Golani; born Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa) led the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militant outfit and its affiliate Jaish al-Izza (the Army of Pride) in the Syrian civil war, prompting former President Bashar al-Assad to flee the West Asian country on December 8, 2024. The rebel leader, who made headlines after the fall of the al-Assad Regime in Damascus, was born in the Saudi capital of Riyadh in 1982.

Like Osama bin Laden, al-Julani, too, fought against Russia as Moscow backed the al-Assad Regime from the very beginning of the Syrian civil war. In return, the ousted Syrian President allowed the Kremlin to build military bases in several strategically important areas along the Mediterranean coast. This was the manner how Russia increased its influence in West and Central Asia, creating trouble for the US.

In order to counter the Russian influence, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) followed a sort of Afghanistan model in Syria and backed the rebel forces against al-Assad. The CIA repeatedly called the al-Assad Regime an authoritarian one. The US also supplied arms and ammunition to the Syrian rebels with the help of Turkey. While the US helped al-Julani to become stronger, the rebel leader served US interests in Syria.

In 1988, Osama bin Laden established al-Qaeda from a network of Arab and other foreign veterans of the US-backed Afghan insurgency against the erstwhile Soviet Union, with the aim of supporting Islamist causes in conflicts around the world. Once, al-Julani was closely associated with this organisation. He officially joined al-Qaeda in 2003 when the US was conducting anti-terror operations in West Asia. In 2011, al-Julani established al-Nusra Front (also known as Front for the Conquest of the Levant), a Sunni jihadist organisation fighting against Syrian Government Forces in the civil war. Its aim was to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad and establish an Islamic State ruled by Sharia Law with the help of al-Qaeda. Later, the outfit was named HTS.

al-Julani also maintained close ties with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and its chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (born Ibrahim Awad Ibrahim Ali al-Badri). In 2013, al-Julani claimed that he snapped ties with ISIS as al-Baghdadi wanted to become the leader of al-Nusra Front! He also snapped ties with al-Qaeda. Later, the US offered a reward of up to USD 10 million for information on al-Julani. In January 2017, al-Nusra Front merged with several other hardline opposition groups to form HTS under the leadership of al-Julani. Washington DC soon declared HTS as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation. After the demise of al-Baghdadi in 2022, al-Julani became the most influential rebel leader in Syria. He also formed a parallel government in Idlib Province and started running the administration from a secret base. Since 2022, he has emerged as an administrator.

al-Julani could have easily addressed the nation from the Presidential Palace in Damascus after the fall of al-Assad or eliminated top officials of the fallen regime. However, he went straight to the historic Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, offered prayers and declared victory. He greeted the people gathered outside the mosque, declaring the end of five-decade rule of al-Assad’s Ba’ath Party. al-Julani also visited the notorious Sednaya Prison and released prisoners, announcing the end of the era of injustice in this military prison. Talking to the media, the rebel leader described the victory of his forces as the Freedom of Syria. At the same time, al-Julani made it clear that he would not support the killing of innocent people.

Meanwhile, defence experts remain sceptical about al-Julani’s fate as the US has a tendency to eliminate key figures after the change of Government or end of a civil war in a country for the sake of its own interest. Hence, it is unlikely that the fall of the al-Assad Regime in Damascus would change its attitude towards HTS much. It may be noted that the US Air Force has carried out airstrikes on 75 secret bases of ISIS in Syria since December 8, 2024. Outgoing US President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr has issued a statement, stressing: “We are clear-eyed about the fact that ISIS will try and take advantage of any vacuum to reestablish its credibility, and create a safe haven. We will not let that happen. We will remain vigilant. Make no mistake, some of the rebel groups that took down al-Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and Human Rights abuses.” Experts believe that Washington DC might target al-Julani in the future for the same reason.

Israel, too, poses a serious threat to the man who has toppled al-Assad. Immediately after the fall of the al-Assad Regime, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) occupied several parts of the war-torn country, including the Golan Heights. So far, the Zionist Regime has carried out more than 500 airstrikes in Syria, mainly targeting airports, arsenals and oil depots. Analysts are of the opinion that Prime Minister Benjamin ‘Bibi’ Netanyahu wants to increase the Israeli territories by taking full advantage of the situation. The Israeli PM may eliminate al-Julani with the help of Mossad, if the latter creates an obstacle for the former. al-Julani’s father Hussein al-Sharaa, a Syrian academic and Arab nationalist activist, once lived in the Golan Heights region. Later, he moved to Saudi Arabia. Hence, al-Julani is well aware of the dispute between Syria and Israel over the occupation of the Golan Heights.

Russia is another threat for al-Julani. It is somewhat clear that Moscow is yet to accept the collapse of the al-Assad Regime. al-Julani is also under the scanner of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

One has to wait and watch whether al-Julani shall be able to rule Syria after playing hide and seek with death!

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das