Syria’s Insurgency Leader, Abu Mohammed al-Golani: A Profile “`

BEIRUT — Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the insurgent leader whose unexpected revolt ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad, has spent years cultivating a new public image. He has disavowed his past ties to al-Qaida and presents himself as an advocate for inclusivity and tolerance. Recently, the insurgency even stopped using his nom de guerre, opting for his real name, Ahmad al-Sharaa.

This transformation from jihadi extremist to aspiring nation-builder is now facing its ultimate test.

Insurgents control the capital, Damascus; Assad has gone into hiding. For the first time in 50 years, the future governance of Syria is uncertain.

Syria houses numerous ethnic and religious groups, frequently set against each other by Assad’s regime and years of conflict. Many fear a potential takeover by Sunni Islamist extremists. The nation is also divided among various armed factions, with foreign powers—including Russia, Iran, the United States, Turkey, and Israel—all significantly involved.

Al-Golani, 42, designated a terrorist by the United States, hasn’t been seen publicly since Damascus fell early Sunday. However, he and his insurgent group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)—many of whose fighters are jihadis—are poised to be major players.

For years, al-Golani consolidated power while operating in Idlib province in northwestern Syria, while Assad’s Iranian- and Russian-backed rule seemed secure across much of the country.

He navigated extremist organizations, eliminating rivals and former allies. He worked to enhance the image of his de facto “salvation government” in Idlib to gain favor with international governments and reassure Syria’s religious and ethnic minorities. He also forged connections with various tribes and other groups.

In the process, al-Golani shed his hardline Islamist image, opting for suits in press interviews to discuss state-building and decentralized power reflective of Syria’s diversity.

“Syria deserves an institutional governing system, not one where a single ruler makes arbitrary decisions,” he stated in a recent CNN interview, suggesting HTS might eventually disband after Assad’s fall.

“Don’t judge by words, but by actions,” he added.

Al-Golani’s beginnings in Iraq

Al-Golani’s links to al-Qaida date back to 2003, when he joined extremists fighting U.S. troops in Iraq. The Syrian national was detained by the U.S. military but remained in Iraq. During this time, al-Qaida absorbed similar groups, forming the Islamic State of Iraq under Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

In 2011, a popular uprising against Assad triggered a brutal government crackdown, escalating into full-scale war. Al-Golani rose to prominence when al-Baghdadi sent him to Syria to establish a branch of al-Qaida known as the Nusra Front, subsequently labeled a terrorist organization by the United States. The U.S. government has offered a $10 million reward for his capture.

The Nusra Front and the Syrian conflict

As Syria’s civil war intensified in 2013, so did al-Golani’s ambitions. He defied al-Baghdadi’s orders to dissolve the Nusra Front and merge with al-Qaida’s Iraqi operation to create the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Despite this, al-Golani pledged allegiance to al-Qaida, which later distanced itself from ISIS. The Nusra Front battled ISIS and eliminated much of its competition within the Syrian opposition to Assad.

In his first interview in 2014, al-Golani’s face was concealed. He told a Qatari Al-Jazeera reporter that he rejected political talks in Geneva to end the conflict. He stated his aim was to establish Islamic rule in Syria and made clear there was no place for the country’s Alawite, Shiite, Druze, and Christian minorities.

Consolidating power and rebranding

In 2016, al-Golani publicly revealed his face in a video announcing his group’s renaming to Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (Syria Conquest Front) and its severance of ties with al-Qaida.

“This new organization has no affiliation to any external entity,” he declared in the video, dressed in military attire and a turban.

This move allowed al-Golani to fully control fracturing militant groups. A year later, his alliance rebranded again as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (Organization for Liberating Syria) after merging, consolidating al-Golani’s authority in Idlib province.

HTS later clashed with independent Islamist militants who opposed the merger, strengthening al-Golani and his group’s position as the dominant force in northwestern Syria, capable of ruling with an iron grip.

With consolidated power, al-Golani initiated an unforeseen transformation. Trading his military garb for shirts and trousers, he began advocating for religious tolerance and pluralism.

He reached out to the Druze community in Idlib, previously targeted by the Nusra Front, and visited the families of Kurds killed by Turkish-backed militias.

In 2021, al-Golani gave his first interview to an American journalist on PBS. Sporting a blazer and neatly styled hair, the now more subdued HTS leader stated that his group posed no threat to the West and that sanctions against it were unjust.

“Yes, we have criticized Western policies,” he said. “But to wage a war against the United States or Europe from Syria, that’s not true. We didn’t say we wanted to fight.”