New Syria Doubles Down on Jihad

Syria embraces tyranny once again. De-facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, now known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, stated in a recent interview with Saudi Arabia’s Al-Arabiya network that he envisioned that it would take two to three years for Syria to have a new constitution, that “it’s possible” for Syria to have an election in four years, and that the new Syria would never engage in a federation with its Kurds or any other group. But that’s not the worst of it. (RELATED: Syria’s New Leader Will Bring Jihad Not Peace)

Jihadi Appointments

First, Syria’s new defense ministry gave at least six out of fifty of its recent appointments to foreign jihadists: three brigadier generals and three colonels. At least three worked for al-Qaeda:

• Brigadier General Omar Mohammed Jaftashi hails from Turkey and is also known as “Muhtar Turki.” He is a designated terrorist in his home country and is linked to al-Qaeda, according to Turkish intelligence. He has posted beheading videos in the past and has reportedly served in leadership combat roles under not only al-Qaeda but also al-Nusra, ISIS, and now HTS.
• Brigadier General Abdul Rahman Hussein al-Khatib (Abu Hussein al-Urdani, or Abu Hussein al-Jordani) hails from Jordan and was also known for being in the beheading business while working for al-Qaeda.
• Colonel Abdul Samrez Yeshari, also known as Abdul Jashari, was designated a terrorist by the United States Treasury Department in 2016 for his affiliation with al-Nusra. (This is likely okay with the Biden–Harris administration, given that it lifted the $10 million bounty on al-Jolani’s head only days ago.) Jashari hails from North Macedonia and served in al-Qaeda under the name “Abu Qatada al-Albani,” where he led a terrorist group of Albanians, Kosovars, and Macedonians. He joined al-Nusra under Jolani in 2014 and led al-Nusra’s Syrian military activities.

And three foreign fighters are Uyghurs. Brigadier General Abdulaziz Dawood Khudaberdi is the commander of the separatist Turkistan Islamic Party’s (TIP) forces in Syria. The two other Uyghurs include Colonel Mawlan Tarsoun Abdussamad and Colonel Abdulsalam Yasin Ahmad.

In addition to the foreign nationals, the Syrians recently appointed in the new government also have jihadi ties:

• Syria’s new intelligence head, Anas Khattab, was designated a terrorist by the United Nations Security Council in 2014 under Resolution 2161 for his affiliation with al-Qaeda. He also worked for al-Qaeda in Iraq and al-Nusra.
• Syria’s new head of the Office for Women’s Affairs, Aisha al-Dibs, is also a troubling appointment. Not only has she branded Syria’s revolution a “jihad,” but she also supported Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel as “the king of Arab Spring revolts,” called for Israel’s destruction, and labeled American officials “murderers” and “criminals” that are condemned to Hell for their support of Israel.
• Syria’s new foreign minister, Asaad Hassan al-Shibani (formerly known as Zaid al-Attar), worked for al-Qaeda and al-Nusra.

Persecution of Minorities

And there is growing evidence that Syria’s old and new jihadists are persecuting Syria’s minorities.

The Biden–Harris administration has raised concerns about the new Syrian government on numerous videos on social media reportedly showing HTS attacks on Alawite communities. Additionally, there are also various posts on social media claiming that HTS gunmen have confiscated property and have run Aramaic-speaking Christians out of the town of Maaloula. Given that al-Nusra had kidnapped 12 nuns in the town back in 2013, these reports are quite alarming.

An Emirati daily claimed that eight Uzbek foreign nationals set fire to a Christmas tree in Al-Suqaylabiyah, and HTS officials stated that the perpetrators of the arson “were not Syrian.” Given foreign jihadists’ (including Uzbek jihadists) alignment with HTS in Syria, this doesn’t look good for the new regime.

Additionally, both an HTS-affiliated cleric and an HTS-critical cleric issued statements banning Muslims from celebrating Christmas, with the latter criticizing Syrian Christians for overreacting to the Christmas tree arson, stating “Why all this fuss? And why this show[?] An unknown person burned some Christmas trees!” and further criticizing officials for allowing Christians in Al-Suqaylabiyah to raise a Cross.

Is Syria the new Afghanistan?

READ MORE from Steve Postal:

Bibi Improved the Middle East By Ignoring Biden–Harris

Syria’s New Leader Will Bring Jihad Not Peace

Putting Jihadists on Notice, Israel Racks Up Critical Win in Syria

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