RELEASE | Joint Briefing on Syria: Al Qaeda Is in Charge, Emboldened
WASHINGTON, D.C.— In recent days, the Syria’s formerly designated terrorist group known as HTS has been implicated in murderous attacks against Christians and Druze as part of that al Qaeda franchise’s efforts to establish by force the control its leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa (better known by his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammad al-Julani) seeks over large parts of Syria in which various minorities are still in charge. While al-Sharaa – whose presidency has been recognized and rewarded with sanctions relief by President Trump – professes to condemn such crimes against humanity and disavows any connection to their perpetrators, in reality, the jihadists are, at best, tolerated by his government, if it is not actually fully complicit in their rampages.