Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa[a] (born 29 October 1982), also known by the nom de guerre[b] Abu Mohammad al-Julani,[c] is a Syrian revolutionary, military commander, and politician who has served as the president of Syria since 29 January 2025.

The SSG collected taxes, provided public services, and issued identity cards to residents, though it faced protests and criticism within Idlib for authoritarian tactics and suppressing dissent.

In recent years, al-Sharaa has presented a more moderate view of himself, suggesting he has no urge to wage war against Western nations, and has vowed to protect Syria's minorities.

[9][10] Whilst living in an apartment block in the Mezzeh neighbourhood in the west of the city,[7] al-Sharaa worked part-time as a child in a grocery store owned by his father.

[11] According to Hussam Jazmati, who produced his most definitive biography, classmates remember al-Sharaa as a studious but unremarkable boy who wore thick glasses and avoided attention.

After the rebel takeover of Damascus, Ahmed al-Sharaa briefly returned to his childhood home, where he was seen politely asking the current occupants if they could leave, stating that the house held personal memories for him.

"[16] Asked many years later about his reaction to the 2001 9/11 attacks, al-Sharaa stated that "anyone who lived in the Islamic or Arab world at the time who tells you he wasn’t happy about it would be lying", but added that he understood "regret" about the killing of innocent people.

[20] In 2003, al-Sharaa was detained and questioned by the Military Intelligence Directorate for his illegal departure from Syria to Iraq, he was released after denying any affiliation to any political parties or extremist groups.

[10] It is claimed that after Zarqawi was killed in a US airstrike in 2006, al-Sharaa left Iraq and briefly stayed in Lebanon, where he provided logistical support to the Jund al-Sham militant group.

[19][27] Despite tensions with then al-Qaeda-allied leadership of the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), who were content with his departure, al-Sharaa proceeded to orchestrate an agreement with Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to expand al-Qaeda's Syrian branch, Jabhat al-Nusra.

[32] Al-Baghdadi's top aide, Abu Ali al-Anbari, travelled to Syria to investigate al-Sharaa, concluding that he was a "cunning person; two-faced; [...] [who] glows when he hears his name mentioned on satellite channels".

[32][33] The proposed merger would have eliminated al-Nusra's autonomy and allegiance to al-Qaeda's central command by placing all its leaders, decisions, and operations under Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's direct control.

[38] Al-Zawahiri repudiated al-Baghdadi's merger move which was announced without consulting or informing al-Qaeda's central command, and appointed Abu Khalid al-Suri as his emissary to mediate between the two groups and supervise the implementation of the accords.

Al-Sharaa also warned that al-Nusra will fight any group which takes American cash and weapons, condemning "the traitorous factions that were bought by the West with some money and ammunition so as to be a pawn in its hands.

Al-Sharaa mentioned that al-Nusra have no plans for attacking Western targets, and that their priority is focused on fighting the al-Assad Syrian government, Hezbollah, and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

[56] However, negotiations collapsed due to al-Sharaa supporting Jund al-Aqsa — a group that he had secretly established to discourage al-Nusra's foreign fighters from defecting to ISIS — in their conflict with Ahrar al-Sham.

Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi wrote a critique of the manhaj of JFS, and rumours circulated that al-Qaeda was preparing to launch a new affiliate in Syria named "Taliban al-Sham".

HTS successfully defeated ISIS, al-Qaeda, and most opposing forces in its territory, establishing control over most of Idlib Governorate, which it administered through the HTS-aligned Syrian Salvation Government.

The protests were triggered by multiple factors, including allegations of brutality, with reports of thousands of critics held in prisons, and economic grievances related to high taxes.

[62][63][64] Turkey, which had previously helped stabilize the province by connecting it to its electricity grid and allowing building materials to enter freely, had grown concerned about al-Sharaa's expanding influence.

[70] During the capture of Aleppo, al-Sharaa instructed his forces not to "scare children" and HTS channels broadcast footage of Christians in the city continuing their normal activities.

Using his real name, Ahmed al-Sharaa, he explicitly pledged to protect minority groups,[62] and outlined plans for establishing a government grounded in institutions and a "council chosen by the people".

[75] On the same day, he delivered a speech at Damascus's Umayyad Mosque, calling the fall of Assad's regime "a new chapter in the history of the region" and condemning Syria's role as "a playground for Iranian ambitions", characterized by sectarianism and corruption.

[83] On 24 December, al-Sharaa announced the dissolution and merger of multiple rebel factions, including the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army, into the interim government's Ministry of Defense.

The reorganization coincided with al-Sharaa's efforts to establish new state institutions, including law enforcement and security forces, amid reports of revenge killings and highway banditry.

[91] On 29 January, a Russian delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov visited Damascus to meet al-Sharaa, reaffirming Moscow's support for Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity following the fall of the Assad regime.

[98] On 30 January, Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani became the first head of state to visit Damascus since the fall of the Assad regime, discussing post-conflict reconstruction in Syria and other topics.

[105] On 8 February, a delegation from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), led by Director-General Fernando Arias, visited Damascus to meet with al-Sharaa for the first time since Assad's overthrow.

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat published on 20 December 2024, al-Sharaa asserted that under Bashar al-Assad, Syria had become a platform for Iran to exert influence over major Arab capitals, expand conflicts, and destabilize Gulf nations through activities such as drug trafficking, including the distribution of Captagon.

[122] On 29 January 2025, during a meeting with a delegation of Syrian women residing in the United States, al-Sharaa introduced his wife, Latifa al-Droubi, dismissing social media rumors about having multiple spouses.