Syria not a threat to world, rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa tells BBC

BBC ^ | Dec 18 | Jeremy Bowen

[RandFan]

The de facto leader of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has said the country is exhausted by war and is not a threat to its neighbours or to the West.

In an interview with the BBC in Damascus, he called for sanctions on Syria to be lifted.

Sharaa led the lightning offensive that toppled Bashar al-Assad's regime less than two weeks ago. He is the leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the dominant group in the rebel alliance, and was previously known by his wartime pseudonym of Abu Mohammed al-Jolani.

He said HTS should be de-listed as a terrorist organisation. It is designated as one by the UN, US, EU and UK, among many others, as it started as a splinter group of al-Qaeda, which it broke away from in 2016.

Sharaa said HTS was not a terrorist group.

They did not target civilians or civilian areas, he said. In fact, they considered themselves to be victim of the crimes of the Assad regime. The victims, he said, should not be treated the same way as the oppressors.

He denied that he wanted to turn Syria into a version of Afghanistan.

Sharaa said the countries were very different, with different traditions. Afghanistan was a tribal society.

In Syria, he said, there was a different mindset. He said he believed in education for women.

Sharaa was relaxed throughout the interview, wearing civilian clothes, and tried to offer reassurance to all those who believe his group has not broken with its extremist past.

Many Syrians do not believe him....

[PGR88]

Syria doesn’t exist any longer.

[Dave911]

Let's just remember that Muslims are ok with lying if it furthers the cause of Islam.

[Telepathic Intruder]

"the country is exhausted by war and is not a threat"

[faithhopecharity]

not a threat to the world? but maybe a serious threat to Syrian Christians, Druze, and Kurds, plus Israel and Jordan

we will see

you gotta be very careful listening to Islamicists as they speak with deceptive guile and their word choices can be quite “loaded” with double-meanings

[teeman8r]

here’s more from the bbc correspondent

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0m4rcx0of4

with subtitles

[Organic Panic]

Ah yes because Islam has been so peaceful since its founding.

[wildcard_redneck]

At least he is smarter than Little Z-Man, the runt cannot ditch his cosplay military costume.

[Paul R.]

IMO, there is a sliver of a chance here. IF HTS can keep the retributions by its own members low, that would be a start. The problem is, with literally hundreds of thousands of Syrians "disappeared", in mass graves, etc., and at least that many likely now out for revenge, with about 70 different groups involved, not to mention fighting amongst the groups, I don't see how HTS, even if al-Jolani / Ahmed al-Sharaa has become pragmatic, can keep a semblance of control. A Druze / HTS / Kurds mutual non-aggression agreement would be a beginning. And would this alliance agree to some sort of international supervision of justice being served? I don't see how Syria's people can ever accept no justice at all for the crimes done to them...

[Iron Munro]

Not a threat to the world.

Just a threat to the non-Islamic people of the world.

[PIF]

Syria not a threat to world
—

As long as your part of the world is muslim, you are fine. If not, well then, jihad is on its way to you.

[McGruff]

True statement today but give them time. First they need to liberate Palestine.

[MplsSteve]

“I don’t see how Syria’s people can ever accept no justice at all for the crimes done to them...”

Agreed.

The next Syrian civil war has the bloody potential to make the first look relatively tame.

[Eleutheria5]

You’re peaceful now? Not a threat? Prove it.

[libertylover]

not a threat to its neighbours or to the West

Maybe not directly, but maybe through allowing the use of Syrian territory to get supplies to Iran-backed crazies.