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Ahmed al-Sharaa
Ahmed al-Sharaa | |
|---|---|
أحمد الشرع | |
 Al-Sharaa in 2024 | |
| 20th President of Syria | |
| Assumed office 29 January 2025 | |
| Prime Minister | Mohammed al-Bashir |
| Vice President | None |
| Preceded by | Bashar al-Assad[a] |
| 2nd Emir of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham | |
| In office 1 October 2017 – 29 January 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Abu Jaber Shaykh |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Emir of the al-Nusra Front[b] | |
| In office 23 January 2012 – 28 January 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa 29 October 1982 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
| Political party | Independent |
| Other political affiliations | Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (2016–2025) |
| Spouse | Latifa al-Sharaa |
| Parent | Hussein al-Sharaa (father) |
| Relatives | Maher al-Sharaa (brother) |
| Nickname | Abu Mohammad al-Julani |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |
Formerly
|
| Years of service | 2003–present |
| Rank | Commander-in-chief (HTS) |
| Battles / wars | |
Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa[c] (born 29 October 1982), also known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani,[d] is a Syrian revolutionary, military commander and politician who has served as the 20th president of Syria since 29 January 2025.[7][8] As the emir of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) from 2017 to 2025, he played a key role in the 2024 Syrian opposition offensives, which led to the downfall of the Assad regime and the establishment of the Syrian transitional government. Al-Sharaa subsequently served as the country's de facto leader until his appointment as president.[9]
Al-Sharaa was born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to a Syrian Sunni Muslim family from the Golan Heights, and grew up in the capital, Damascus. Shortly before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, he joined al-Qaeda in Iraq and fought for three years in the Iraqi insurgency. American forces captured and imprisoned him from 2006 to 2011. His release coincided with the Syrian Revolution, and he created the al-Nusra Front in 2012 with the support of al-Qaeda to take part in the Syrian civil war against the Ba'athist government of Bashar al-Assad. As emir of the al-Nusra Front, al-Sharaa built a stronghold in the northwestern Idlib Governorate. He resisted Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's attempts to merge al-Nusra with the Islamic State, leading to war between the two groups.
The U.S. State Department listed al-Sharaa as a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist" in May 2013,[10] and four years later announced a $10 million reward for information leading to his capture.[11] The reward offer was rescinded in December 2024 after al-Sharaa met with an American delegation led by Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara A. Leaf.
In 2016, al-Sharaa cut al-Nusra's ties with al-Qaeda, merging it with other organisations to form Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham the following year. Since breaking with al-Qaeda, he has sought international legitimacy by focusing on governance in Syria rather than transnational jihadism. HTS established a technocratic administration in the territory it controlled, collecting taxes, providing public services, and issuing identity cards to residents, though it faced criticism for authoritarian tactics and suppressing dissent.[12] In recent years, 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 Syria's minorities.[13][14][15]
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
- ^ "State Department amends terror designation for al Nusrah Front | FDD's Long War Journal". June 2018. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- ^ "What to Know About the Man Who Toppled Assad".
- ^ "What to Know About the Man Who Toppled Assad | the Washington Institute".
- ^ "Search results".
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
ToI13was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Who is Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of Syria's shock insurgency?". AP News. 4 December 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
- ^ "الشرع رئيسا لسوريا وحل الفصائل وحزب البعث وتعطيل الدستور" [Sharaa as President of Syria, dissolving factions and the Baath Party, and suspending the constitution]. Al Jazeera Arabic (in Arabic). 29 January 2025. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
- ^ "Syria's Sharaa declared president for transitional period, state news agency says". Reuters. 29 January 2025. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
- ^
- Salame, Richard (29 December 2024). "Syrian elections may not be held for 4 years, says de facto leader". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 29 December 2024.
- Sarkar, Alisha Rahaman (19 December 2024). "Syria's de facto new leader says it is not a threat to the West". The Independent. Archived from the original on 20 December 2024.
- Jewers, Chris (19 December 2024). "Syrian rebel leader says women's education will continue – but refuses to be drawn on alcohol". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 20 December 2024.
Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria's de facto leader, said he believed in education for women as he denied the new government would be another version of the Taliban.
- Bowen, Jeremy (18 December 2024). "Syria not a threat to world, rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa tells BBC". BBC News. Archived from the original on 18 December 2024.
The de facto leader of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has said the country is exhausted by war and is not a threat to its neighbours or to the West.
- Griswold, Eliza (17 December 2024). "Reasons to Leave Syria—and to Return". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 17 December 2024.
He wanted to see how Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the head of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham—an Islamist group formerly linked to the Islamic State and Al Qaeda—and now the de-facto leader of Syria, behaved.
- Maher, Hatem (14 December 2024). "Syria's de facto leader not interested in new conflicts despite Israeli attacks". Reuters. Archived from the original on 14 December 2024.
- ^ "Terrorist Designations of Al-Nusrah Front Leader Muhammad Al-Jawlani". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on 22 August 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
- ^ Cone, Allen (10 May 2017). "U.S. offers $10M reward for information on al-Nusra leader". United Press International. Archived from the original on 11 May 2017. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
- ^ Rasgon, Adam; Abdulrahim, Raja (8 December 2024). "Who Is the Leader of Syria's Rebel Offensive?". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 8 December 2024. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
- ^ Karadsheh, Jomana; Tuysuz, Gul; Laine, Brice; Kent, Lauren; Kourdi, Eyad (6 December 2024). "Syrian rebel leader says goal is to 'overthrow' Assad regime". CNN. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
- ^ Taylor, Adam (6 December 2024). "Who is Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the Islamist rebel leading the Syrian advance?". The Washington Post.
- ^ Abdulrahim, Raja (6 December 2024). "Leader of Syria's Resurgent Rebels Lays Out Strategy to Oust Assad". The New York Times.
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