BEIRUT — Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of a prominent militant group known for his role in the uprising against Syrian President Bashar Assad, has dedicated years to transforming his public persona. He has distanced himself from long-standing associations with al-Qaida, positioning himself as an advocate for pluralism and acceptance. Recent developments have seen his insurgency shift from using his alias to referring to him by his real name, Ahmad al-Sharaa, a sign of his rebranding efforts.
The situation in Syria is evolving rapidly. With insurgents taking over the capital, Damascus, and Assad reportedly in hiding, the question of Syria’s future governance hangs in the balance for the first time in half a century. The nation is richly diverse, home to various ethnic and religious groups that have frequently found themselves in opposition due to the state’s policies and the protracted conflict. This diversity raises concerns among many about the potential rise of Sunni Islamic extremists in a post-Assad Syria. Additionally, the landscape is further complicated by the involvement of foreign powers, including the United States, Russia, Iran, Turkey, and Israel, each with its own interests in the region.
Al-Golani, now 42 and classified as a terrorist by the U.S., has remained out of the public eye since the fall of Damascus. However, his group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), consisting of many fighters with jihadist backgrounds, is poised to play a significant role in the aftermath. Over the years, al-Golani has focused on consolidating power, primarily while contained within Idlib, a province in northwestern Syria, as Assad’s regime appeared to have solidified its grip elsewhere in the country.
During this time, al-Golani skillfully navigated through various extremist factions, eliminating rivals and former allies alike. He has positioned his administration, often referred to as the “salvation government” governing Idlib, in a manner designed to win international recognition and reassure the country’s diverse religious and ethnic minorities. Furthermore, he established relationships with tribal groups, presenting himself as a unifying leader.
Transforming from a hardline Islamist guerrilla into a statecraft advocate, al-Golani began to wear formal attire in media appearances, discussing the need for state institutions and the decentralization of power to cater to Syria’s diverse communities. In a recent interview, he emphasized the importance of a governing system based on institutional governance rather than autocratic rule, hinting that HTS could dissolve post-Assad.
Al-Golani’s background dates back to 2003 when he joined extremist factions in Iraq amid the conflicts against U.S. forces. Despite his detention by the U.S. military, he remained in the country as al-Qaida emerged from similar groups to form the Islamic State of Iraq, eventually led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Following the onset of the Syrian civil war in 2011, al-Golani gained prominence when he was tasked by al-Baghdadi to create a Syrian branch of al-Qaida, initially known as the Nusra Front, which received a terrorist designation from the U.S. Government and placed a $10 million bounty on his head.
As the conflict escalated in 2013, so did al-Golani’s ambitions. He rebuffed calls from al-Baghdadi to dissolve the Nusra Front and merge it with al-Qaida’s operations, which later evolved into ISIS. Al-Golani maintained allegiance to al-Qaida, but the Nusra Front’s conflicts with ISIS helped establish his influence as he fought against Assad’s regime.
In 2016, al-Golani took significant steps to rebrand his image, appearing publicly for the first time in a video where he proclaimed the Nusra Front would be restructured and no longer tied to external entities. This pivotal move enabled him to strengthen his grip on differing militant factions. By 2017, he solidified his position further through the rebranding of his alliance into Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, allowing him to emerge as the dominant force in Idlib.
With his power secure, al-Golani initiated a remarkable transformation. Transitioning away from military attire, he began to urge for mutual respect and acceptance among various faiths, notably reaching out to the previously targeted Druze community and the families of Kurds who suffered under Turkish-backed groups. His evolution was highlighted in a 2021 interview with an American journalist where he expressed that HTS did not pose a threat to Western nations and criticized unjust sanctions against his group.
In portraying a more moderate image, al-Golani stated, “Yes, we have criticized Western policies. But to wage a war against the United States or Europe from Syria, that’s not true. We didn’t claim we wanted to fight.” His efforts to reshape his narrative continue to unfold as the fate of Syria teeters on the brink of a new era.