The rehabilitation of a Syrian al-Qaeda-linked terrorist is in high gear, CSI’s president warns.
Syria’s new dictator-apparent, Ahmed al-Sharaa (aka Abu Muhammad al-Jolani), the founder of al-Qaeda’s Syria branch. Source: Telegram
Western diplomats and their preferred media organs are working at breakneck speed in Damascus to rehabilitate Syria’s new Sunni jihadist dictator, Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, the leader of the militia Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). This mission faces a complication: Al-Jolani and his army have long been officially designated as terrorists by both the U.S. State Department and the UN Security Council.
Through their relationship with Osama bin Ladin and al-Qaeda, al-Jolani and HTS are linked to the massacre of 3,000 Americans on 9/11, targeted killings of Christians and other religious minorities in Syria, Iraq and Egypt, and many other terrorist acts around the world. Some of these acts of jihadist terror have been documented by the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria and others. I myself have been able to meet some of al-Jolani’s surviving victims.
Despite its designation as a terrorist organization, al-Jolani and HTS have long benefited from the covert support of the U.S. and its allies, especially Turkey. They functioned as an American “asset” in the campaign against the Syrian government and Iran, according to former U.S. special envoy James Jeffrey. The terrorist designation is problematic now that Washington’s engagement is becoming overt. A major step in stripping al-Jolani of the terrorist image was taken on December 20, when Washington lifted the $10 million bounty on his head.
The rehabilitation of al-Jolani is intended to pave the way for the removal of Washington’s economic sanctions against Syria. The stabilization of al-Jolani’s regime will depend largely on an inflow of cash from the United States, Europe and the Gulf states – an inflow which is currently blocked by sanctions in the U.S.-dominated global banking system.
For 13 years, Syria has been subject to massively destructive economic sanctions, first imposed by the U.S., and then by its western allies. These sanctions were ostensibly put in place as punishment for the crimes of Syria’s dictator Bashar al-Assad, but these sanctions did not just target Assad and members of his regime – they applied to whole sectors of Syria’s economy.
These sectoral sanctions punish Syria’s entire civilian population and have helped to drive the country into extreme poverty. They have functioned as indiscriminate weapons of mass economic destruction in an undeclared war against Syria. CSI has consistently opposed these sectoral sanctions, as opposed to the sanctions personally targeting Assad and others accused of crimes against humanity.
Washington should immediately lift the broad economic sanctions for the benefit of Syria’s people, but Syria’s new dictator-apparent should enjoy no such favor. President Biden and incoming-President Trump should not lift the targeted sanctions on al-Jolani and his violent jihadist network.
They should furthermore keep these terrorists on the wanted lists of international law enforcement agencies until such time as they can be brought to justice in duly-constituted courts for their crimes against the Syria people. The voices of their victims should be heard.
As Washington acts, so will Europe.
Dr. John Eibner
International President
Christian Solidarity International
