Abu Muhammad al-Julani, the leader of the Tahrir al-Sham terrorist organization, said in his first interview with an American journalist his organization posed no threat to the United States and there were common interests between the group and the United States one of them was to remove Al-Qaeda.
Al-Julani, the leader of the Tahrir al-Sham terrorist group, told Front Line correspondent Martin Smith that he was referring to his role in fighting the Syrian government and its enemy ISIS (one of al-Nusra’s rivals in Syria) and dominating the homes of millions of displaced Syrians. They become refugees later, there are common interests between Tahrir al-Sham and the United States and the West.
He added: “First and foremost, this region does not represent a threat to the security of Europe and America,” Jolani told Smith. “This region is not a staging ground for executing foreign jihad.”
The interviews took place in Idlib province, where Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Jolani’s group, has worked to establish a civic authority through a so-called “salvation government.” One of the last remaining pockets of resistance to the Assad regime, Idlib has become home to an estimated 3 million civilians, many of whom fled other parts of Syria. For the last couple of years, Idlib has come under attack from Syrian, Russian, and Iranian forces, with Turkey backing opposition groups, including, sometimes, Jolani’s group.
In the interview, al-Julani sought to emphasize the end of his relationship with the al-Qaeda terrorist group and his group has even opposed operations outside Syria in the past.
He called being in terrorist groups political and unjust.
With these emphases, al-Julani is trying to present himself as a partner of the United States and the West in the fight against the Syrian government.
The United States has labeled him a terrorist since 2013 and offered a $10 million reward for information leading to his capture.
Today, Jolani is the leader of the most dominant force in opposition-held Syrian territory. From his base in the northwestern corner of the country, he and his organization have fought against Assad’s forces, Assad’s Russian and Iranian allies, and Jolani’s own former allies in ISIS and Al Qaeda.
“This is a great offer if they can visit formal and informal prisons because legal groups have received such offers from others without following up,” Sarah Kiyali, a Syrian affairs researcher at Human Rights Watch, told Front Line.
Last February, Martin Smith posted a photo of himself with Al-Julani, who appeared for the first time in a suit and without the clothes of al-Qaeda terrorists, and his clothes followed prophecies that he, especially after eliminating his rivals in Idlib and controlling the border crossings with the help of Turkey and some Arab countries, is trying to satisfy the United States and the West and cooperate with them.
Yes, it is Al-Julani who has opened himself to his Western friends to tell them he is a good partner for them to destroy Syria and besiege the people in order to use the pressure levers at his disposal; What about the refugees or the border crossings that will facilitate the theft of Syrian oil.
