Who's the repentant jihadist, Syria's new strongman?
Al Joulani, the rebel leader who took over Syria, has had a sulphurous career, to say the least. Today, he tries to appear moderate, yet he's one of the world's most wanted jihadists.
The HTS leader is a former al-Qaeda operative with a $10 million price on his head. He will try to redeem his image. He insists that he no longer wishes to wage jihad, but rather to pursue purely political aims in Syria. In order to mark his respectability and metamorphosis, he has trimmed his beard and abandoned his white turban for a military uniform. Yesterday, he appeared triumphantly in Damascus' famous Umayyad Mosque in military uniform.
Journalist, Wassim Nasr, investigated a few months ago in Idlib province, Al Joulani's stronghold,describes the situation as follows:
“On the ground in rebel-controlled areas, Christian inhabitants enjoy a supervised freedom of worship with daily masses, but are forbidden to ring chimes, or erect crosses on buildings.”
After Al Joulani's declarations of appeasement, Western countries and the United States are now waiting for action.
(MH with AmBar/Source: Agence/Photo: DPA/Anadolu/Bekir Kasim)