Who is Ahmad al-Sharaa? Islamist rebel leader named Syria’s interim president

File photo: Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa (Picture credit: AP)

Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, emerged as Syria’s interim president on Wednesday, after leading the offensive that toppled Bashar al-Assad’s government a few months ago.
Once a shadowy jihadist with ties to al-Qaeda, al-Sharaa has undergone a striking transformation, presenting himself as a pragmatic leader for a post-Assad Syria.
Born in 1982 in Damascus’ Mazzeh district to a well-off family, al-Sharaa’s radicalisation reportedly began after the September 11 attacks. He later joined al-Qaeda in Iraq, where he fought under Abu Musab al-Zarqawi before being detained by U.S. forces.
In 2011, after Syria’s civil war erupted, he founded the Al-Nusra Front—al-Qaeda’s Syrian branch—which later evolved into Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
For years, al-Sharaa was classified as a terrorist by the US, which placed a $10 million bounty on his head.
However, he distanced himself from al-Qaeda in 2016 and began rebranding HTS as a nationalist force rather than a jihadist insurgency. In recent years, he has sought legitimacy, swapping his traditional turban for military fatigues and pledging to protect religious minorities and women’s rights.
While al-Sharaa has promised an inclusive government and transitional justice, his past looms large. His leadership of HTS, known for suppressing dissent in rebel-held Idlib, raises concerns about how he will govern.
His rise to power has drawn mixed reactions—some hail him as a wartime strategist turned statesman, while others view him as an opportunist repackaging himself for international acceptance.