How Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham Succeeded in Changing Its Identity from a Global Jihadist Group to a Syrian Liberation Group

In a record time and without any significant resistance from the forces of Bashar al-Assad's regime, armed military groups from the Syrian opposition, most notably Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), extended their control over the city of Aleppo and vast areas of its countryside.

The Syrian opposition also took control of the entire Idlib Governorate with its geographical borders, in addition to the city of Hama and vast areas of its countryside, reaching the city of Homs, and all of this came within only a week after the Syrian armed opposition launched a battle called ‘Deterrence of Aggression’.

What is striking is that the armed opposition factions showed unprecedented military organization, in a battle that differs from the image that these factions have shown in the past years.

It surprised everyone, in terms of planning, organization, military technology and high coordination between the various factions, and most importantly, presenting a different image from the past, as these factions reassured the national and international communities, emphasizing the preservation of private and public interests and the rights of minorities.

HTS, which was established under the name Jabhat al-Nusra in early 2012, has a dark history of violations, and is still listed on the terrorist lists. Ahmed al-Sharaa (Abu Mohammad al-Jolani) is still wanted by the United States, with a reward of up to $10 million for anyone who provides information about him.

However, under his leadership, HTS gradually stripped itself of its extremist rhetoric over the past years, and announced its separation from any organization, and considered itself a local Syrian force after dismantling most of the jihadist groups that entered Syria.

Strategic Planning

Only a week had passed since the Syrian armed opposition took control of the city of Aleppo, when HTS leader, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, left the military operations administration room to visit the Aleppo Citadel, wearing olive-colored civilian clothes.

After taking control of most of Aleppo’s neighborhoods within hours, and instead of chaos spreading throughout the city’s neighborhoods, the leaders of the military operations management rushed to send reassurances to civilians and religious minorities in Aleppo.

They also pointed out that the General Security Service of HTS-linked Salvation Government is on its way to Aleppo to secure security and stability there, which indicates prior planning and distribution of tasks between the military force, the security force, and the local administration.

The Salvation Government also addressed a message to the Kurds, saying that they are part of the diverse Syrian identity, reminding them that it rejects the barbaric practices previously committed by ISIS against them.

Two days after the Deterrence of Aggression operation, videos emerged from inside the city carrying several messages, and interviews with Christian residents walking around to secure their needs.

On December 1, the first Christian mass was held in Aleppo after the military operations administration took control of the city, and a video of a fighter trying to destroy a Christmas tree in one of Aleppo’s streets was also circulated, but the tree was quickly returned to its place.

The most interesting thing in the videos circulating from the recent military operations is the footage of the moment fighters affiliated with the Assad army were arrested, as it seemed clear that the armed opposition tried to control its performance in comparison to the experience of the Nusra Front and ISIS in the past decade.

The recent fighting areas have not yet witnessed any killings and bloody violence as before, but the videos received were not without physical and verbal violence.

In turn, al-Julani sent a message to the fighters and civilians not to violate the instructions of the General Command, which stipulate the preservation of people's property and their dignity.

The Salvation Government also sent a message to Russia, stressing that the Syrian revolution has never been against any country or people, including Russia, and called on Russia not to link its interests with the Bashar al-Assad regime, but with the Syrian people.

On December 1, the Salvation Government issued a letter to the Iraqi government, stressing that the friendly relationship between the Syrian and Iraqi peoples is solid, and that the Syrian revolution does not pose any threat to security or stability in Iraq or any country in the region.

But what surprised everyone the most today was al-Julani’s statement to the International Crisis Group (ICG), in which he said that “HTS is considering dissolving itself in order to enable full consolidation of civilian and military structures in new institutions reflecting the breadth of Syrian society”.

On the other hand, al-Julani said that Aleppo would be administered by a transitional body, and that fighters would be withdrawn from the city in the coming weeks, and employees would be invited to resume their work, adding that the city’s distinct social, cultural, and religious norms would be respected.

A Pragmatic Entity

As the Syrian war escalated, jihadists linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant formed what they called the Nusra Front in January 2012 to confront al-Assad’s forces.

The extremist group grew to become one of the largest and most important rebel factions, launching hundreds of attacks and battles against military targets of the Assad regime.

Its ideology remained close to that of its parent organization in Iraq—it pledged to establish an Islamic caliphate in Syria—but it fell out in 2013 when the Iraqi organization attempted to force a merger between the two.

Instead, Abu Muhammad al-Julani declared the Nusra Front’s allegiance to al-Qaeda.

In July 2016, the Nusra Front renamed itself ‘Jabhat Fateh al-Sham’ and announced that it had severed ties with al-Qaeda, perhaps in a bid to gain greater international legitimacy and make itself more acceptable to the Syrian opposition.

It focused on military control, government administration and strategic planning rather than launching attacks on the West in the style of al-Qaeda or ISIS.

In early 2017, the group joined with a number of other factions to form HTS, a move that al-Qaeda’s leadership publicly opposed, due to al-Julani’s abandonment of his rhetoric about an Islamic caliphate.

Thanks to his leadership skills, HTS evolved from a traditional jihadist organization into a more pragmatic entity that deals with national and international realities.

HTS began acting as a mini-government in the areas it controlled in northwestern Syria, providing public services to civilians there through a Salvation Government.

Al-Jolani has sought to gain legitimacy by building an administration that provides limited services to Idlib’s residents and developing agriculture and industry in the region.

However, the group has remained unpopular among residents, who have staged frequent protests against its arbitrary arrests, taxation, intolerance of dissent and poor living conditions.

HTS has also worked with Western aid groups to allow aid to reach civilians in Idlib, and has allowed Western journalists and researchers to visit the area.

But it has failed to establish relations with most foreign powers, with the exception of Turkey, which borders Idlib and controls a large swath of neighboring northern Syria.

Despite al-Jolani’s effort to distance his new group from al-Qaeda, the United States designated HTS a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 2018.

Political Messages

On December 6, al-Jolani appeared on CNN, saying that the goal of the recent moves in Syria, capturing one major city after another from the grip of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, was ultimately to topple the authoritarian president, as he described it.

He added that if the current regime is overthrown, he seeks to form a government based on institutions and a council chosen by the people.

Al-Julani also opposed the classification of HTS as a terrorist organization, describing it as primarily political, considering that some extremist practices have created a division between HTS and jihadist groups.

“We are talking about a larger project - we are talking about building Syria. HTS is just part of this dialogue, and it may disintegrate at any time. It is not an end in itself, but a tool to confront this regime,” he added.

The HTS leader pointed out that people who fear Islamic governance either have seen incorrect implementations of it or do not understand it properly. He also expressed his desire for foreign forces to leave Syria.

Al-Julani's interview with CNN was a radical change from the radical rhetoric he used during his first ever televised interview in 2013, when Al Jazeera interviewed him with his face in the shadows. At the time, his statements focused on strengthening the al-Qaeda branch in Syria.

In turn, Syrian researcher Ibrahim Khatib said in a statement to Al-Estiklal that “there is a major shift in the approach of HTS, as it seeks to improve its image locally and internationally, in addition to presenting itself as a responsible entity that seeks to maintain security and stability and can be dealt with in the future.

He believes that these moves may reflect a change in the identity and ideology of HTS, noting that the reasons for this may be a response to internal and external pressures, and an attempt to correct past mistakes.

Mr. Khatib concluded that al-Julani has so far succeeded in the re-floating test in order to engage in the international system, trying to benefit from the Taliban movement’s experience in Afghanistan and repeat it, as this would not have happened without an international consensus on what is happening today on Syrian territory.