In an interview with the BBC in Arabic, Ahmed al-Sharaa (Al-Jolani), the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), sought to mark his difference with the Afghan Taliban and present a more moderate image of its organization.
“There are major differences between Syria and the Taliban,” he said, emphasizing that “the form of government in each country depends closely on its history and culture.” He particularly insisted on the fact that “Afghan society is tribal, while Syrian society is different in its composition and its thinking.”
Regarding the classification of his organization as a terrorist group, Al-Sharaa described it as “political”, denying any involvement in crimes against civilians. “On the contrary, during the years of war, we did not attack civilian neighborhoods or target innocent people. We were the victims of the crimes committed by the regime,” he said. Addressing the Israeli issue, Al-Sharaa said Israel’s pretexts regarding the presence of Hezbollah and Iranian militias in Syria were no longer valid, saying his group could expel them from the country. He called for a diplomatic resolution, recalling the 1974 disengagement agreement between Syria and Israel. The HTS leader also distanced himself from Al-Qaeda, saying the relationship “belongs to the past”, and called for Bashar al-Assad to be extradited to Syria to face trial in the Syrian justice system .
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