(Ken Silva, Headline USA) There’s a new regime in Syria after rebels toppled the country’s president, Bashar al-Assad. That leader, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, has deep ties to an Obama-era CIA operation to arm radical jihadis, which ultimately led to the ouster of the country’s president, Bashar al-Assad, over the weekend.
Throughout his rise through extremist ranks, al-Sharaa was only known by the jihadi nickname he adopted, Abu Mohammed al-Golani. His ties to al-Qaeda stretch back to 2003, when he joined insurgents battling U.S. troops in Iraq. The Syrian native was detained by the U.S. military but remained in Iraq. During that time, al-Qaida usurped like-minded groups and formed the extremist Islamic State of Iraq, led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Then civil war broke out in Syria. Around that same time, Barrack Obama launched the then-secret Operation Timber Sycamore, which entailed the CIA funneling weapons and equipment to “moderate” rebels fighting against Syria’s pro-Russian government, led by al-Assad.
As we now know, most of those “moderate” rebels turned out to be groups such as al-Qaeda’s al-Nusra Front—whose membership included none other than al-Golani.
As it became increasingly clear in the early 2010s that the CIA was arming jihadis, al-Golani rebranded his organization several times—changing it from Al Nusra to Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, then Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham in an effort to obscure his al-Qaeda links.
In January 2017, Donald Trump—who famously, and accurately, accused Obama of founding ISIS due to Operation Timber Sycamor and his support for the Syrian rebels—took office. A few months later, the U.S. State Department issued a $10 million reward for his capture.
We remain committed to bringing leading AQS figures in HTS to justice. #Syria pic.twitter.com/R8evqffWum
— U.S. Embassy Syria (@USEmbassySyria) May 15, 2017
But even though he was on a U.S. State Department terror list, al-Golani operated in territory under the protection of NATO ally Turkey for much of the last decade—as noted by the Libertarian Institute’s Kyle Anzalone.
“During this period, [al-Golani’s] Idlib province was the largest safe haven for jihadists on the planet,” Anzalone wrote Monday.
Despite al-Golani’s deep ties to al-Qaeda—the organization responsible for 9/11, the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history—U.S. President Joe Biden has pledged aid to his new regime.
“The United States will support them, including through humanitarian relief,” Biden said Sunday, celebrating al-Assad’s downfall.
Now the US openly funding al-Qaeda. Where is Congress??? https://t.co/N28mzvphjE
— Daniel McAdams (@DanielLMcAdams) December 8, 2024
The mainstream media is also leaving open the possibility that al-Golani may be a changed man.
“As he entered Damascus behind his victorious fighters Sunday, [al-Golani] even dropped his nom de guerre and referred to himself with his real name, Ahmad al-Sharaa,” the Associated Press reported Monday.
“The extent of that transformation from jihadi extremist to would-be state builder is now put to the test.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
