Who is Syria’s Abu Mohammed al-Golani?

The militant leader and his Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham stand to be a major player in how Syria will be governed following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime


1982: Born Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where his father works as a petroleum engineer

1989: The family returns to Syria, settling near Damascus

2003: He moves to Iraq, joining fighters aligned with Al Qaeda battling U.S.-led invasion

2006: Arrested by U.S. forces in Iraq and held for five years

2011: Tasked with establishing Nusra Front in Syria by Iraqi militant leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who later goes on to head so-called Islamic State group

2016: Golani severs ties with Al Qaeda, rebranding Nusra as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham and later
as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)

2017: HTS establishes civilian front – so-called Syrian Salvation Government (SSG) – in areas it controls during Syria’s civil war

2018: U.S. places $10 million bounty on Golani and brands HTS a terrorist organisation – group continues to be proscribed by UN, U.S. and EU

2021: In first interview with U.S. journalist on PBS, Golani says his group poses no threat to the West

Dec 8, 2024
HTS-led rebels take control of Damascus, toppling Assad regime. Golani drops nom de guerre and uses his real name

Dec 9: Sharaa meets Assad’s outgoing prime minister, Mohammed Jalali, to discuss transfer of power
to SSG


Idlib
LEBANON
TÜRKIYE
Aleppo
SYRIA
Hama 
Homs
Damascus
ISRAEL
JORDAN
IRAQ
100km 60 miles
Held by HTS-led rebels


Sources: Associated Press, BBC
Pictures: Getty Images 
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