{"id":72354,"date":"2023-05-14T14:31:24","date_gmt":"2023-05-14T14:31:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/05\/14\/syrias-main-insurgent-group-seeks-to-move-away-from-al-qaida-past\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T15:21:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T15:21:51","slug":"syrias-main-insurgent-group-seeks-to-move-away-from-al-qaida-past","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/flashpoints\/2023\/05\/14\/syrias-main-insurgent-group-seeks-to-move-away-from-al-qaida-past\/","title":{"rendered":"Syria\u2019s main insurgent group seeks to move away from al-Qaida past"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">IDLIB, Syria \u2014 The leader of an insurgent group that rules much of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/disaster\/2023\/03\/24\/us-launches-syria-strikes-after-contractor-killed-5-troops-wounded\/\" target=\"_blank\">northwest Syria<\/a> rose to notoriety over the past decade by claiming deadly bombings, threatening revenge against Western \u201ccrusader\u201d forces and dispatching Islamist religious police to crack down on women deemed to be immodestly dressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today the man known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani is trying hard to distance his group, Hayat Tahrir al Sham, known as HTS, from its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/afghanistan\/2021\/12\/09\/us-commander-al-qaida-numbers-in-afghanistan-up-slightly\/\" target=\"_blank\">al-Qaida<\/a> origins, spreading a message of pluralism and religious tolerance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As part of the rebranding, he has cracked down on extremist factions and dissolved the notorious religious police. For the first time in more than a decade, a Mass was performed recently at a long-shuttered church in Idlib province.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Al-Golani told a recent gathering of religious and local officials that Islamic law should not be imposed by force. \u201cWe don\u2019t want the society to become hypocritical so that they pray when they see us and don\u2019t once we leave,\u201d al-Golani said, pointing to Saudi Arabia, which has relaxed its social controls in recent years after decades of strict Islamic rule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The pivot comes at a time when al-Golani\u2019s group is increasingly isolated. Countries that had once backed insurgents in Syria\u2019s uprising-turned-civil-war are restoring relations with Syrian President Bashar Assad.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2023\/03\/26\/a-look-at-the-us-military-mission-in-syria-and-its-dangers\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"158\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7591165.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">A look at the US military mission in Syria and its dangers<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">American troops have been in Syria since 2015.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Saudi Arabia, a one-time Assad foe, reversed course and led a push resulting in Syria\u2019s return to the Arab League last week, after 12 years of regional isolation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even Turkey, the main remaining state backer of armed opposition groups in Syria, has signaled a shift. Last week, the Turkish foreign minister met with his Syrian counterpart in Moscow, the first such meeting since 2011. The foreign ministers of Russia and Iran, Assad\u2019s main allies, also attended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The meeting marked a significant step toward Damascus and Ankara restoring ties, even as the presence of Turkish troops in northwest Syria remains a sticking point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the same time, the United States considers HTS a terrorist group and has offered a $10 million reward for information on al-Golani\u2019s whereabouts. The United Nations also designates it a terrorist organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Earlier this month, the U.S. and Turkey jointly slapped sanctions on two people who allegedly raised money for militant groups, including HTS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Al-Golani rose to prominence in the early months of the Syrian uprising in 2011, when he became the leader of al-Qaida\u2019s branch in Syria, known at the time as the Nusra Front. Militants and top officials from Osama bin Laden\u2019s al-Qaida flocked to the group\u2019s base of operations in northern Syria, where many of them were later killed in U.S. strikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"8640\" height=\"5760\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP23133578999256.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"An al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahrir al Sham militant stands in front of a destroyed house in Atareb, Syria, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023.\" class=\"wp-image-106822\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP23133578999256.jpg.jpg 8640w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP23133578999256.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP23133578999256.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP23133578999256.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP23133578999256.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP23133578999256.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 8640px) 100vw, 8640px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">FILE &#8211; An al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahrir al Sham militant stands in front of a destroyed house in Atareb, Syria, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023. (Hussein Malla\/AP, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In July 2016, the Nusra Front changed its name to Fatah al-Sham Front and said it was cutting ties with al-Qaida, in what was seen by many as an attempt to improve its image. Fatah al-Sham later merged with several other groups and became Hayat Tahrir al Sham.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During that period, al-Golani showed his face publicly for the first time and changed his style of dress from white turbans and robes to shirts and trousers. His fighters went after Islamic State group militants who fled to Idlib after their defeat and cracked down on Horas al-Din or \u201cGuardians of Religion,\u201d another militant group that includes hardcore al-Qaida members who broke away from HTS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The change in al-Golani\u2019s public image appears not to have impressed the U.S. government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Posts on social media accounts of the U.S. government\u2019s Rewards for Justice show a photo of al-Golani wearing a light blue shirt and dark blue blazer with a caption in Arabic that reads: \u201cHello, handsome al-Golani. Nice shirt. You can change your uniform, but you will always be a terrorist. Don\u2019t forget the $10 million reward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2017, HTS set up a so-called \u201csalvation government\u201d to run day-to-day affairs in the region. At first, it attempted to enforce a strict interpretation of Islamic law. Religious police were tasked with making sure that women were covered, with only their faces and hands showing. Its members would force shops to close on Fridays so that people could attend the weekly prayers. Playing music was banned, as was smoking water pipes in public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In March 2020, Russia and Turkey, which support rival groups in the conflict, reached a truce. Since then, rebel-held northwestern Syria has witnessed relative calm, and HTS focused its efforts on cracking down on the remnants of IS and other jihadist groups. The International Crisis Group think tank, in a report earlier this year, said HTS has evolved and \u201cdistanced itself from global jihadism.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">HTS has also sometimes portrayed itself as a defender of minorities in the primarily Sunni Arab northwest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In March, members of a Turkish-backed armed group shot dead four Kurdish men in the town of Jinderis as they lit a fire to celebrate the Kurdish new year. Al-Golani met with the victims\u2019 families and other Kurdish residents of the area and promised revenge against the perpetrators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a 2021 interview with PBS, al-Golani called his group\u2019s terrorist designation \u201cunfair\u201d and \u201cpolitical,\u201d saying that while he had criticized Western policies in the region, \u201cwe didn\u2019t say we want to fight (them).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Al-Golani said his involvement with al-Qaeda has ended, and that even in the past his group was \u201cagainst carrying out operations outside of Syria.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The State Department said in a statement that al-Golani remains a designated terrorist and that it does not comment on possible deliberations about changing such designations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Aron Lund, a fellow with the Century International research center, said he believes it\u2019s unlikely the U.S. will remove HTS and al-Golani from its terrorism list. \u201cAs far as I can tell, the U.S. government remains genuinely concerned about the group\u2019s links to global jihadism,\u201d Lund said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Waiel Olwan, a researcher at the Turkey-based think tank Jusoor for Studies, said he believes al-Golani is trying to show he is in control of Idlib and to guarantee a place for himself in Syria once the conflict ends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Asim Zedan, an activist whose group tracks violations by HTS, said the ongoing terror designation is a blow to al-Golani\u2019s self-image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAfter forming the salvation government and setting up ministries, al-Golani now sees himself as a head of state,\u201d Zedan said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Mroue reported from Beirut.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The leader of the most powerful al-Qaida-linked group in northwest Syria is rebranding his organization by moving away from extremist factions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":106820,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":13,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,13,24,89,16,26],"tags":[],"coauthors":[6942,1189],"class_list":["post-72354","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"YOJAYC4JPJEJ7OZTX5Q67HYPZU","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/2023\/05\/14\/syrias-main-insurgent-group-seeks-to-move-away-from-al-qaida-past\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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