Syria's Al-Sharaa: I went to Iraq to defend its people
Shafaq News/ Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa affirmed that his time in Iraq and joining al-Qaeda were aimed at gaining experience and "defending" the people of the country.
“We didn’t have the capabilities or enough experience, so I decided to go wherever I could gain experience,” Al-Sharaa said in an interview on "The Rest of Politics" podcast. “The timing coincided with the build-up of US forces entering Iraq, and there was a strong Arab and Islamic response against this intervention.”
Al-Sharaa also confirmed that he had two objectives in going to Iraq: first, to gain experience by witnessing a full-scale war, and second, to "defend" the people of Iraq. “I worked with several factions, but they began to dwindle until I found myself with al-Qaeda in Iraq.”
Regarding his time in prison, Al-Sharaa discussed his early incarceration, during which he passed through prisons such as Abu Ghraib, Camp Bucca, Kober, and Taji. “During this period, my awareness grew, and I noticed a significant change in my personality... I encountered strange ideas in prison and rejected the sectarian war that emerged in Iraq at the time... Some factions inside the prison criticized me for not adopting ISIS's ideology later on,” he explained.
Two days before the Syrian revolution began, the president was reportedly released from prison and quickly arranged his return, setting clear conditions for his work: first, to avoid repeating the Iraq experience, and second, to refrain from engaging in any sectarian conflict, focusing on toppling the regime. “We started with just six people, but within a year, we grew to five thousand and spread across various Syrian provinces.”
Al-Qaeda in Iraq, Al-Sharaa pointed out, was surprised by this growth and attempted to impose its experience, but he rejected applying the Iraqi model to Syria. “A rift formed between us, and a large war broke out in which we lost over 1,200 fighters and 70% of our strength. However, we rebuilt ourselves, focusing on fighting the regime and addressing other threats such as ISIS,” he clarified.
Al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed Al-Joulani, left Syria for Iraq after the US-led invasion in 2003 to join the conflict. He became a member of Al-Qaeda in Iraq under the leadership of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, but his advancement within the jihadist group was halted when he was imprisoned for five years.
The US had offered a $10 million reward for Al-Sharaa's capture but withdrew the bounty after a US delegation visited Damascus and met with him.
