Germany Rebel leader al-Sharaa: Wants to disband HTS in Syria
Syria's rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa says he is planning to disband his Islamist militia HTS. He will announce the dissolution at a conference for national dialog, al-Sharaa said in an interview with the Al-Arabiya news channel. It would then take around three years to draft a new constitution and a further year to hold elections. For "meaningful elections", a broad consensus among the Syrian population would first be necessary.
29.12.2024, 12:22
SDA
Syria experts have doubts as to whether al-Sharaa really wants to hold fair and free elections in the country. The Islamist group he leads, Haiat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which toppled Syria's government after a lightning offensive, previously ruled authoritarian Idlib in the north-west of the country. Human rights activists have documented torture and the killing of political opponents under HTS rule. At the same time, al-Sharaa has called for the protection of minorities.
Al-Sharaa had led the Al-Nusra Front under his battle name Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, an offshoot of the terrorist network Al-Qaeda, which also had links to the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS). He later broke away from IS and the al-Qaeda terrorist network and founded the HTS - the "Organization for the Liberation of Syria" - in 2017. However, these steps were also seen as a front to expand the power and influence of HTS.
