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Tahrir al-Sham: Al-Qaeda's latest incarnation in Syria Tahrir al-Sham: Al-Qaeda's latest incarnation in Syria
(17 days later)
The Syrian jihadist group Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (JFS), known as al-Nusra Front until it broke off formal ties with al-Qaeda last July, has merged with four smaller Syrian factions and rebranded itself as "Tahrir al-Sham". The Syrian jihadist group Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (JFS), which was known as al-Nusra Front until it broke off formal ties with al-Qaeda last July, has rebranded itself again.
The new group's leader has been named as Hashim al-Sheikh, who previously served as the head of the powerful Islamist rebel group, Ahrar al-Sham. A statement issued on 28 January announced that it had agreed to merge with four smaller factions and form a new alliance, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (Liberation of the Levant Organisation).
Ahrar al-Sham itself has refused to join the new body and has been at loggerheads with JFS in northern Syria. Hashim al-Sheikh, also known as Abu Jabir, who had previously been the head of the now-rival Islamist rebel group Ahrar al-Sham, was named its new leader.
On 9 February, al-Shaikh delivered the group's first leadership message in which he insisted the new entity was independent and not an extension of former organisations and factions. There was no mention in the statement of the long-standing al-Nusra and JFS leader, Abu Mohammed al-Julani. However, Tahrir al-Sham confirmed weeks later that he had been appointed the alliance's "general military commander".
By reinventing itself again, JFS appears to be trying to distance itself from its al-Qaeda past and embed itself more deeply within the Syrian insurgency. On 9 February, Abu Jabir delivered a message in which he insisted Tahrir al-Sham was an "independent entity and not an extension of former organisations and factions".
No mention has been made of JFS leader Abu Mohammed al-Julani in any of the new group's communications. But he is widely believed to be serving as its military commander. It appeared to be an attempt to further distance the group from al-Qaeda.
'Full merger' But it is not clear how effective that will be, as the last name change failed to convince the international community and the US kept the group on its list of foreign terrorist organisations.
JFS announced the creation of "Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham" (which translates in English as Liberation of Levant Organisation) in a statement that was released on 28 January via its channel on the messaging app Telegram. The statement announcing the creation of Tahrir al-Sham said JFS had joined forces with the Nour al-Din Zinki Movement, one of the most important opposition factions in Aleppo province; Ansar al-Din Front; the Homs-based Jaysh al-Sunnah; and Liwa al-Haqq, which operates in Idlib, Aleppo and Hama provinces.
The statement indicated that the groups which had agreed to join would dissolve themselves and "merge fully" into the new entity. The groups would dissolve themselves and "merge fully" into the new entity, the statement added.
This was further reiterated in al-Shaikh's recent message which described the new body as a "melting pot for all factions". That was further reiterated by Abu Jabir's recent message, which described the new body as a "melting pot for all factions".
In addition to JFS, Tahrir al-Sham founding groups included: Nur al-Din Zinki Movement (one of the most important opposition factions in Aleppo); jihadist Ansar al-Din Front; the Homs-based Jaysh al-Sunnah; and Liwa al-Haqq (operates in Idlib, Aleppo and Hamah). In addition, no new propaganda has been issued using the JFS brand since then.
The new entity also received the endorsement of six prominent Syria-based jihadist clerics, including the charismatic Saudi-born Abdullah al-Muhaisini. The clerics signed a separate statement announcing their intention to join Tahrir al-Sham. The new alliance also received the endorsement of six prominent Syria-based jihadist clerics.
Since the creation of the new entity, JFS has issued no new propaganda under the JFS brand, suggesting that it has been dissolved. The clerics, who included the charismatic Saudi-born Abdullah al-Muhaisini, signed a separate statement announcing their intention to join.
Hashim al-Shaikh (Abu-Jabir) Abu Jabir was appointed Tahrir al-Sham's leader despite coming from a group that chose not to part of the new alliance.
The head of the new group, Abu-Jabir, had been appointed as Ahrar al-Sham leader after the group's entire leadership was wiped out in a bomb blast in September 2014. He held the leadership seat until September 2015. He became head of Ahrar al-Sham in September 2014, after its entire leadership was wiped out in a bomb blast. He held that position until September 2015.
According to mainstream accounts, Abu-Jabir was born in 1968 in Aleppo, Syria. He is said to have fought alongside al-Qaeda in Iraq under Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and helped Syrian jihadist fighters travel to Iraq. Reports indicate he was arrested later in Syria and was one of many Islamists released from prison in 2011. According to several accounts, Abu Jabir was born in 1968 in the northern city of Aleppo.
Abu-Jabir's appointment as the leader of Tahrir al-Sham marks the culmination of tensions between moderate and hardline elements within Ahrar al-Sham, which escalated in recent months over disagreements on the notion of a merger with JFS. He is said to have fought alongside al-Qaeda in Iraq under Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and helped Syrian jihadists travel to the country.
As attempts for a merger including both JFS and Ahrar al-Sham failed, hardliners within Ahrar al-Sham, including some prominent figures led by Abu-Jabir defected to Tahrir al-Sham. Reports indicate he was arrested later in Syria and that he was one of many Islamists released from prison in 2011 under an amnesty ordered by President Bashar al-Assad.
This places the new entity in the position of a rival to Ahrar al-Sham, which in turn took a number of smaller factions under its wing. Abu Jabir's appointment as leader of Tahrir al-Sham marked the culmination of months of tension between moderate and hardline elements within the group, which escalated amid disagreements over the prospect of a merger with JFS.
In his message, Abu-Jabir reached out to other factions urging them to "forget the past" and join his group with the aim of continuing the fight until the goals of the uprising were realised and the Syrian government overthrown. But Abu-Jabir's dismissal of political negotiations as a means to achieve that goal might alienate some factions that have shown willingness to engage in talks. As attempts at the merger failed, hardliners within Ahrar al-Sham - including some prominent figures led by Abu Jabir - defected to Tahrir al-Sham.
Latest rebranding That placed the new entity in the position of a rival to Ahrar al-Sham, which has in turn taken a number of smaller factions under its wing.
The announcement of the new body is the second rebranding undergone by the group formerly known as al-Nusra Front in a relatively short period of time. 'Forget the past'
It follows its public severing of ties with al-Qaeda and rebranding as Jabhat Fateh al-Sham at the end of July 2016. Abu Jabir reached out to other factions in his message on 9 February.
These moves represent attempts by the group to embed itself more deeply within the wider Syrian insurgency and distance itself from the al-Qaeda brand. He urged them to "forget the past" and join Tahrir al-Sham as it sought to continue the fight and realise a goal of the uprising, the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad.
But if anything, the latest initiative is an indication that JFS's dream of winning over key Syrian factions appears to have failed, at least for the time being. In an apparent reference to January's talks in Astana between several rebel factions and the government, Abu Jabir warned that the war would not be ended "by a negotiation session or conferences which suppress the revolution and crown the butcher".
Abu Jabir's dismissal of efforts to find a political solution might, however, end up alienating the factions that have showed a willingness to engage.
That would in turn make it harder for Tahrir al-Sham to embed itself more deeply within the wider insurgency and disassociate itself from the al-Qaeda brand, at least for the time being.
BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook.BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook.