Executive Summary
Abu Mohammad al-Julani, leader of armed group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), has played a crucial role in the recent developments in Syria. Under his leadership, HTS evolved from an al-Qaeda affiliate to a group focusing on local matters, with strong aspirations for legitimization. The push to be seen as a legitimate actor has gained certain traction, although HTS remains under the attention of international actors who consider it a terrorist organization. The consolidation of power and move towards becoming a governing entity has started in the northwest of the country. However, discontent and dissent have persisted in the area.
Profile
Abu Mohammad al-Julani was born in 1982 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Son of an oil engineer and a geography teacher, he began to pursue a career in media studies up until he became involved in armed conflict. He is now the militant leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), considered charismatic, respected, and sharp in the way he operates. He has a long history of armed fighting, intertwined with al-Qaeda and ISIS. His involvement began in 2003, when he joined the fighting of al-Qaeda in Iraq that followed the US invasions. During the conflict he was arrested by the American Military and held for five years.
In 2011, with the increasing unrest due to the Syrian uprising, al-Julani went back to his homeland. He was tasked by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to establish the al-Nusra Front, the al-Qaeda branch in Syria. The coordination between the two came to an end when al-Baghdadi demanded that the Nusra Front merge with ISIS. Al-Jolani refused and declared his allegiance to Al Qaeda. Later, in 2017, Jolani broke ties with Al Qaeda too, distancing himself from the concept of a “global caliphate.” He rebranded his organization as it is now known, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). The group became more locally focused and for the past years focused on the toppling of Assad’s regime and the expulsion of Iranian militias.
