Syria’s new strongest man has, thus far, passed by two names: his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, and the one he was given at beginning, Ahmed al-Sharaa.
And because the worldwide safety correspondent Jason Burke explains, it’s notable that since his militant group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, toppled Bashar al-Assad 9 days in the past he has reverted again to Sharaa – an try, seemingly, to downplay his Islamist previous and reassure the nation that its subsequent authorities will probably be run for all Syrians no matter ethnicity or religion.
However there’s a lot to downplay. As Michael Safi hears, Jolani has spent a lot of his life in a number of the area’s most infamous jihadist teams, and whereas his rule within the Syrian area of Idlib earlier than this newest offensive was comparatively competent, it was extreme and draconian too.
Jolani claims he has genuinely reformed – however ought to he be believed? And if not, what does it imply for Syria after Assad?
Assist the Guardian right now theguardian.com/todayinfocuspod
Supply hyperlink
