IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – The visit of the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly al-Nusra Front) to Christian villages in Jisr al-Shughour countryside, and before that to Jabal al-Summaq of Druze majority in the northwestern countryside of Idlib, northwest Syria, contradicts the policy pursued by the HTS towards the two sects.
Recently, the HTS leader, Abu Muhammad al-Julani, has revealed that he seeks to form a “Sunni project”, after his successive appearance in civilian clothes in many public occasions.
Since the beginning of this year, al-Julani has recorded 15 public appearances in non-military clothes in his areas of control in northwest Syria on different occasions, the first of which was at the inauguration of Aleppo-Bab al-Hawa highway, and the last of which was his visit to IDPs camps north of Idlib.
He also visited Deir Hassan camps and one of the HTS camps, and reviewed in Ariha the achievements of the HTS, as well as he visited the Druze-dominated villages of Jabal al-Summaq.
Observers and politicians believe that by appearing as a moderate person, al-Julani tries to show himself as a civilian figure who can control the region and assume a role in the Syrian government.
Previous North Press reports indicated that the villages of Jabal al-Summaq (Jabal al-Druze) are marginalized and lack the basic services such as schools, medical posts, and civil institutions unlike other areas, which the residents described as deliberate.
Jabal al-Summaq includes the villages of Qalb Loze, Banabil, Bashandalenti, Kafr Kila, Kafr Maris, Helleh, Talteta, KuKu, Bshendlaya. All are populated with more than 15,000 residents, the majority of whom are Druze, and it is administratively part of Harem region, north of Idlib.
Most of the hard-line factions, since their takeover of Idlib regions in 2015, led by HTS, have followed a restricting policy against the Christian community, not to mention confiscating their property and homes, closing their churches and preventing them from practicing their religious rituals.
Two days ago, al-Julani’s visit to Christian villages in Jisr al-Shughur area, southwest of Idlib, provoked widespread controversy among the anti-HTS extremist circles, who viewed the visit as a clear challenge to the extremist movement whose voices began to rise within HTS and threaten it internally.
Provocative statements
“Al-Julani’s visit to the Christian community came in response to the widespread criticism that arose against his previous statement of establishing a Sunni entity,” said the Moscow-based Syrian politician Nasr al-Youssef.
Earlier this month, al-Julani stated that the project he seeks through his Interim Government in its areas of control in northwestern Syria is a “Sunni project.”
Al-Julani’s speech came in a video footage publicized by the Interim Government, the civil wing of the HTS, on its official Facebook account. Al-Julani was shown with a number of officials of the Interim Government on the occasion of Eid al-Adha.
“Al-Julani did not realize that this statement provokes the other communities, and benefits the regime and its sectarian allies in the first place,” al-Youssef told North Press.
“As if his statement came as a golden opportunity for the Syrian regime and a strengthening of its claims,” according al-Youssef.
“The Syrian regime, which initially accused the Syrian revolution of being just a Sunni rage or anger, and not a revolution, will make advantages of this statement and say “‘we have been saying it from the beginning and you did not believe us,’” the politician stressed.
“Our Christian and Druze brothers will not be reassured by his words, because he disclosed a scheme that would frighten them and in which they would be second-class citizens,” al-Youssef added.
Other goals
The Syrian politician believes that al-Julani’s recent meetings are consistent with his efforts, which he began some time ago, to market himself to the outside world as “a non-extremist, negotiable and cooperative person.”
“Al-Julani aims by dressing in non-military clothes and making statements to the foreign press to show himself as an open, non-extremist person who could cooperate with him, and seeks to gain a foothold in the future Syrian government,” he added.
The HTS, which was established in 2017, runs vast swaths in the countryside of Idlib and parts of Aleppo, Hama and Latakia. It runs the aforementioned areas through the civil wing, the Interim Government, which controls all aspects of life there.
In 2018, the United States classified the HTS, led by al-Julani, and every faction affiliated with it, as a terrorist organization.
The United States listed al-Jolani as a specially designated global terrorist in 2013. In 2020, US State Department Reward for Justice Program offered a reward of $10 million for information leading to his arrest.
Al-Youssef stressed that the Syrian people only wants freedom and dignity, not the establishment of Druze, Sunni, Alawi, Armenian, and Kurdish communities and cantons.