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Abu Mohammad al-Julani

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"Julani" and "Joulani" redirect here. For other uses, see Julani (disambiguation).

Abu Mohammad al-Julani
أبو محمد الجولاني‎
2nd Emir of Tahrir al-Sham
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 October 2017
Preceded byAbu Jaber Shaykh
Emir of the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham
In office
28 July 2016 – 28 January 2017
Emir of the Al-Nusra Front
In office
23 January 2012 – 28 July 2016
Personal details
Born
Ahmed Hussein al-Shar'a

1982 (age 41–42)
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Military career
AllegianceCurrent:
Syrian Salvation Government (2017–present)
Tahrir al-Sham (2017–present)
Former:
Al-Qaeda (2003–2016)[1]
Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (2016–2017)
Years of service2003–present
RankCommander-in-chief (Tahrir al-Sham)
Battles / wars

Ahmed Hussein al-Shar'a[a] (born 1982), better known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani,[b] is a Syrian militant who has served as the emir of Tahrir al-Sham since 2017.[5] Before cutting ties with Al-Qaeda in 2016,[6] al-Julani had served as the emir of the now-defunct Al-Nusra Front, the former Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda.[7]

Al-Julani rose to prominence as founder and emir of the Al-Nusra Front, a Syrian affliate of Al-Qaeda.[7] Under his leadership the Al-Nusra Front built a stronghold in Syria's northwestern Idlib Governorate.[8] Al-Julani cut Al-Nusra's ties with Al-Qaeda in 2016, merging it with other organizations the following year to form Tahrir al-Sham.[6][9] Since breaking with Al-Qaeda, al-Julani has sought international legitimacy by focusing on governance in Syria rather than global jihadist goals. His group has established an administration in its controlled territory, collecting taxes, providing public services, and issuing identity cards to residents, though it has faced criticism for authoritarian tactics and suppressing dissent.[10] As the leader of the Tahrir al-Sham, al-Julani played a key role in the 2024 Syrian opposition offensives and the resulting overthrow of the Assad regime.[11]

The US State Department listed al-Julani as a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist" in May 2013,[12] and four years later announced a $10 million reward for information leading to his capture.[13][14][15] Al-Julani released an audio statement on 28 September 2014, in which he stated he would fight the "United States and its allies" and urged his fighters not to accept help from the West in their battle against the Islamic State.[16] In recent years however, he has presented a more moderate view of himself, suggesting he has no urge to wage war against Western nations, and has vowed to protect minorities.[17][18][19] In his victory speech following the fall of Damascus, al-Jolani condemned Iran as a source of sectarianism and corruption, and framed the triumph as a turning point for the region.[20]

Early life

Family background

Al-Julani's family came from the Golan Heights in Syria, displaced in 1967 after the Israeli occupation during the Six-Day War.[21] The nisba "al-Julani" in his nom de guerre is a reference to the Golan Heights.[22] Al-Julani's father, Hussein al-Shar'a, was an Arab nationalist student activist for the Nasserists in Syria. He was imprisoned by Syrian neo-Ba'athists during the anti-Nasserist purges initiated after the 1961 and 1963 coup d'états, which broke up the United Arab Republic and propelled the Arab Socialist Ba'ath party to power.[21]

Hussein al-Shar'a later escaped prison to complete his higher studies in Iraq in 1971. During this period, he travelled to Jordan to co-operate with the Palestinian Fedayeen of the Palestine Liberation Organization. After returning to Syria in the 1970s, then under Hafez al-Assad's rule, he was again imprisoned before being released and finding asylum in Saudi Arabia.[21] From a peasant background and a graduate in economics from the University of Baghdad, Hussein worked in the Saudi oil industry and published numerous books in Arabic on regional economic development, particularly focusing on natural resources and their potential contribution to education, agriculture, and military advancement.[23]

Youth in Syria

Al-Julani was born Ahmed Hussein al-Shar'a in 1982 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. His father worked there as an oil engineer, and his mother was a geography teacher.[24] The family returned to Syria in 1989, settling in the affluent Mezzeh neighborhood of Damascus.[25] According to Hussam Jazmati, who produced his most definitive biography, classmates remember al-Julani as a studious but unremarkable boy who wore thick glasses and avoided attention.[24] During his youth, he was described as "manipulatively intelligent" but "socially introverted," and was noted for a romance with an Alawite girl that both families rejected.[23] He remained in Damascus, studying media studies, until moving to Iraq in 2003.[24][25]

Iraq war

Mugshot of al-Julani after his 2006 capture by U.S. forces in Iraq

According to an interview with Frontline in 2021, al-Julani stated he was radicalized by the Palestinian Second Intifada in 2000 when he was 17 or 18 years old. He said: "I started thinking about how I could fulfil my duties, defending a people who are oppressed by occupiers and invaders."[26][27]

Appreciative of the 9/11 attacks,[23] al-Julani traveled from Damascus to Baghdad by bus just weeks before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, where he quickly rose through the ranks of Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI).[26] The Times of Israel newspaper claimed that al-Julani was a close associate of AQI leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.[3] In his 2021 interview with Frontline, al-Julani denied ever meeting al-Zarqawi and claimed he served only as a regular foot-soldier under Al-Qaeda against American occupation. Before the eruption of the Iraqi civil war in 2006, al-Julani was arrested by American forces and imprisoned for over five years in various facilities, including Abu Ghraib, Camp Bucca, Camp Cropper and al-Tajji prison.[28]

Syrian civil war

Syrian uprising and foundation of al-Nusra

Upon his release from prison coinciding with the Syrian revolution in 2011, al-Julani crossed into Syria with significant funding and a mandate to expand al-Qaeda's presence. Despite tensions with al-Qaeda's leadership in Iraq, who were content with his departure, al-Julani proceeded to orchestrate an agreement with Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to establish al-Qaeda's Syrian branch, Jabhat al-Nusra. The group maintained an alliance with the Islamic State of Iraq until 2013, with an arrangement between al-Julani and al-Baghdadi to resolve disputes through mediation by al-Qaeda Emir Ayman al-Zawahiri. Over time, al-Julani began distancing himself from transnational jihadist ideology, increasingly framing his faction within the context of a nationalist Syrian struggle.[26]

The Islamic State of Iraq initially provided al-Julani with fighters, weapons, and funding to establish the al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria. Al-Julani implemented these plans alongside Islamic State of Iraq insurgent leaders after his release from prison.[21]

Al-Julani became the "general emir" of al-Nusra when it was officially announced in January 2012. By December of that year, the US Department of State designated Jabhat al-Nusra as a terrorist organization, identifying it as an alias for Al-Qaeda in Iraq (also known as the Islamic State of Iraq).[29] Under al-Julani's leadership, Al-Nusra emerged as one of Syria's most powerful groups.[3]

Attacks

The Al-Nusra Front, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham groups under al-Julani's leadership had perpetrated suicide bombings and sectarian cleansing massacres against Shia Muslims, ethnic Druze and Alawites during the 2012-2017 phase of the Syrian Civil War. These include the January 2012 al-Midan bombing, the 10 May 2012 Damascus bombings,[30] the February 2013 Damascus bombings,[31] the Hatla massacre,[32] the Homs school bombing,[33] the Qalb Loze massacre,[34][35][36] the Zara'a massacre,[37] the March 2017 Damascus bombings[38] and the 2017 Aleppo suicide car bombing.[39]

Conflict with ISIL

Al-Julani came to prominence in April 2013 when he rejected al-Baghdadi's attempt to merge Al-Nusra into ISI under the new name Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The proposed merger would have eliminated Al-Nusra's autonomy by placing all its leaders, decisions, and operations under Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's direct control. To preserve Al-Nusra's independence, al-Julani pledged allegiance directly to al-Qaeda's leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, who supported al-Julani's bid for independence.

While Al-Nusra had previously been connected to al-Qaeda through its allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq, this new pledge bypassed ISI entirely, making Al-Nusra the official Syrian branch of al-Qaeda.[40][41] Despite his own oath of allegiance to Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Baghdadi rejected this ruling and proceeded with the merger, leading to armed clashes between al-Nusra Front and ISIL over Syrian territory.[42][3]

Resurgence of al-Nusra

In late May 2015, during the Syrian civil war, al-Julani was interviewed by Ahmed Mansour on Qatari news broadcaster Al Jazeera, hiding his face. He described the Geneva peace conference as a farce and claimed that the Western-backed Syrian National Coalition did not represent the Syrian people and had no ground presence in Syria. Al-Julani mentioned that al-Nusra have no plans for attacking Western targets, and that their priority is focused on fighting the al-Assad Syrian government, Hezbollah, and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Al-Julani told al-Jazeera in 2015, "Nusra Front doesn't have any plans or directives to target the West. We received clear orders from Ayman al-Zawahiri not to use Syria as a launching pad to attack the U.S. or Europe in order to not sabotage the true mission against the regime. Maybe Al-Qaeda does that but not here in Syria. Assad forces are fighting us on one end, Hezbollah on another and ISIL on a third front. It is all about their mutual interests".[43] "Our war is not a matter of revenge against the Alawites despite the fact that in Islam, they are considered to be heretics", he added.[43] A commentary on this interview however states that al-Julani also added that Alawites would be left alone as long as they abandon elements of their faith which contradict Islam.[44]

In October 2015, Russian intervention in the Syrian civil war prompts al-Julani to call for increased attacks on Assad's Alawite strongholds in retaliation for Russian airstrikes on Sunni areas.[45] al-Julani also called for Russian civilians to be attacked by former Soviet Muslims.[46][47]

Jabhat Fateh al-Sham

On 28 July 2016, al-Julani announced in a recorded message that Jabhat al-Nusra would be renamed Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (Front for the Conquest of Syria).[48] In his announcement, al-Julani declared that the rebranded group had "no affiliation to any external entity." While some analysts interpreted this as a break from Al-Qaeda, al-Julani did not explicitly mention the organization or renounce his oath of allegiance to Ayman al-Zawahiri.[49]

Formation of Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)

On 28 January 2017, al-Julani announced the dissolution of Jabhat al-Fath al-Sham and its merger into a larger Syrian Islamist organization, Hayat Tahrir Al Sham ("Assembly for the Liberation of the Levant" or HTS).[21] The U.S. government quickly rejected this rebranding, with the U.S. Embassy in Syria stating that "The core of HTS is Nusra, a designated terrorist organisation. This designation applies regardless of what name it uses or what groups merge into it." The Embassy characterized HTS's formation as an attempt to "hijack the Syrian revolution" rather than a move toward moderation.[50]

Despite this stance, under HTS, the group prioritized combating Al-Qaeda and ISIS in an effort to improve its standing with Western nations. HTS successfully defeated ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and most opposing forces in its territory, establishing control over most of Idlib Governorate, which it administers through the HTS-aligned Syrian Salvation Government.[21]

In mid-2020, al-Julani increased his public presence in Idlib to build popular support. HTS-affiliated media significantly expanded its output during this period, releasing multiple daily videos showcasing governance activities, tax distribution in rural areas, frontline operations, and al-Julani's meetings with local militia groups.[citation needed]

Idlib governance

Military situation before the opposition offensives in late 2024.
Territories held by Tahrir al-Sham (white) and the Syrian government (red).

Under al-Julani's administration, Idlib had experienced significant development, becoming Syria's fastest-growing region despite being historically its poorest province. The area featured new luxury shopping malls, housing estates, and round-the-clock electricity supply surpassing that of Damascus. Educational facilities included a university with 18,000 segregated students. However, his administration faced criticism for its taxation policies, including customs taxes on goods from Turkey and checkpoint fees on smuggled goods, as well as the economic impact of the Turkish lira's depreciation, which was the main currency in the region.[51]

In March 2024, widespread protests erupted in Idlib Governorate against al-Julani's rule, with demonstrators adopting the slogan "Isqat al-Jolani" ("Down with Jolani"), reminiscent of earlier protests against the Assad regime. For over a month, hundreds and sometimes thousands of protesters marched through Idlib's cities and towns. The protests were triggered by multiple factors, including allegations of brutality, with reports of thousands of critics held in prisons, and economic grievances related to high taxes.[51]

In response to the unrest, al-Julani made several concessions. He released hundreds of detainees from a previous summer's security operation, including his former deputy Abu Maria al-Qahtani, who had been arrested along with 300 others in a purge of his movement. He also promised local elections and increased employment opportunities for displaced persons, while warning protesters against what he termed treachery.[51]

Turkey, which had previously helped stabilize the province by connecting it to its electricity grid and allowing building materials to enter freely, had grown concerned about al-Julani's expanding influence. In response, it reduced trade through its border crossings with Idlib, affecting HTS's revenue. Reports indicated that al-Julani had twice attempted to take over other Turkish-administered areas in northern Syria.[51]

2024 rebel takeover

Syrian Opposition offensives that overthrew Assad's regime in 11 days

In late November 2024, al-Julani led HTS in its Deterrence of Aggression offensive against the pro-Assad Syrian Arab Army.[52]

During the capture of Aleppo, al-Julani instructed his forces not to "scare children" and HTS channels broadcast footage of Christians in the city continuing their normal activities. Archbishop Afram Ma'lui stated that services would not be affected by the change in control. After regime forces were expelled from the city, al-Julani declared "diversity is a strength." HTS quickly established administrative bodies to restore basic services, including garbage collection, electricity, and water. The group's General Zakat Commission began distributing emergency bread supplies, while its General Organization for Grain Trade and Processing provided fuel to local bakeries. The Ministry of Development and Humanitarian Affairs reported delivering 65,000 loaves of bread under a campaign called "Together We Return."[53]

On 6 December, in a face-to-face interview with CNN, al-Julani declared that the offensive's goal was to remove Assad from power. Using his real name, Ahmed al-Sharaa, he explicitly pledged to protect minority groups,[17] and outlined plans for establishing a government grounded in institutions and a "council chosen by the people."[54] According to Dareen Khalifa of the International Crisis Group, al-Julani has considered dissolving HTS to strengthen civilian and military governance structures.[55] He also expressed his intention to facilitate the return of Syrian refugees to their homes.[56]

Governance following fall of Assad government

On 8 December, Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali announced that the Syrian government would hand over power to a new elected government following the departure of al-Assad from Damascus, and al-Julani announced further that al-Jalali will "supervise state institutions until they are handed over". Al-Jalali later noted to Al Arabiya that al-Julani had been in contact with himself prior to the announcement to discuss the handover.[57] On the same day, he delivered a speech at Damascus's Umayyad Mosque, calling the fall of Assad's regime "a new chapter in the history of the region" and condemning Syria's role as "a playground for Iranian ambitions," characterized by sectarianism and corruption.[20] On 9 December, HTS released a video of al-Julani, al-Jalali and Mohammed al-Bashir, the head of the de facto government in Idlib.[58]

Documentary

On 1 June 2021 PBS Frontline released a documentary, The Jihadist, investigating al-Julani's past in the context of the ongoing Syrian civil war.[59] In the interview, reflecting on his past affiliation with Al-Qaeda, on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and the Palestinian cause, al-Julani commented in the interview:

The history of the region and what it went through over the past 20 or 30 years needs to be taken into consideration... We are talking about a region ruled by tyrants, by people who rule with iron fists and their security apparatuses. At the same time, this region is surrounded by numerous conflicts and wars... We can't take a segment of this history and say so-and-so joined Al Qaeda. There are thousands of people who joined Al Qaeda, but let us ask what was the reason behind these people joining Al Qaeda? That's the question. Are the U.S. policies after World War II toward the region partially responsibility for driving people towards Al Qaeda organization? And are the European policies in the region responsible for the reactions of people who sympathize with the Palestinian cause or with the way the Zionist regime deals with the Palestinians?.. are the broken and oppressed peoples who had to endure what happened in Iraq, for example, or in Afghanistan, are they responsible..?.. our involvement with Al Qaeda in the past was an era, and it ended, and even at that time when we were with Al Qaeda, we were against external attacks, and it's completely against our policies to carry out external operations from Syria to target European or American people. This was not part of our calculations at all, and we did not do it at all.[21]

Writings

On Jihadist online forums, there are essays and articles attributed to al-Julani under the name "Abdullah Bin Muhammad", including The Strategy of the Regional War.[60]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Arabic: أحمد حسين الشرع, romanized: ʾAḥmad Ḥusayn aš-Šarʿ[2]
  2. ^ Arabic: أبو محمد الجولاني, romanized: ʾAbū Muḥammad al-Jawlānī; also transliterated as Joulani, Jolani, and Golani[3][4]

References

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