Abu Muhammad al-Jolani

In Syria, a rebel group led by Abu Muhammad al-Jolani has taken control of the capital Damascus, stunningly repulsing government forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad.

Born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 1982 to the family of a petroleum engineer, Abu Muhammad al-Jolani’s real name is Ahmad Hussain al-Hurray. In 1989, his family returned to Syria and settled near Damascus.

Deposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad took political asylum in Russia along with his family

According to Arab media, the head of Tehreek Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, had been trying to present himself as a credible leader in Syria freed from the oppression of Bashar al-Assad since 2016.

For nearly a decade, Abu Muhammad al-Jolani has separated his Hayat Tahrir al-Sham organization from other armed forces and focused solely on establishing an “Islamic state” in Syria.

The rebels closed the airport after the takeover, leaving 250 Pakistani pilgrims stranded in Syria

Abu al-Jolani joined al-Qaeda in Iraq in 2003 and joined the resistance against the US forces. In 2006, he was captured by US forces and held in prison for five years.

After his release from American custody, Abu Muhammad al-Jolani was tasked with establishing al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria, the Nusra Front.

Bashar al-Assad was last contacted yesterday evening, I don’t know where he went? Syrian Prime Minister

In 2016, he changed the name of his organization to ‘Jabhat Fateh al-Sham’, later merging other groups to form an organization called ‘Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’ in 2017 with the aim of liberating Syria from the Assad regime and Iranian militias. According to his ideology, he wanted to establish an “Islamic State”.