Syria rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani discusses ‘transfer of power’
Syria’s Islamist rebel leader, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, began discussions on Monday about transferring power, a day after his opposition alliance ousted President Bashar al-Assad, ending decades of brutal rule by his family. Assad fled Syria as the Islamist-led rebels advanced into the capital, marking a dramatic conclusion to over five decades of control by the Assad regime.
Assad’s reign was defined by his violent crackdown on the 2011 democracy movement, which ignited a devastating war that killed 500,000 people and forced millions to flee their homes, many seeking refuge abroad.
In the aftermath of Assad’s departure, al-Jolani, now using his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa, met with outgoing Prime Minister Mohammed al-Jalali to discuss the power transition. According to a statement released via the rebels’ Telegram channels, the meeting aimed to “coordinate a transfer of power that guarantees the provision of services” to the Syrian people.
The Assad family’s rule, inherited from Hafez al-Assad, was built on a ruthless system of prisons and detention centers designed to suppress dissent and eliminate anyone challenging the power of the ruling Baath party.