Articles & Testimony
The former jihadist affiliate has changed tremendously in the past few years, and understanding this new reality is crucial to identifying how its current offensive might unfold.
“God willing,” the militant told his lieutenants, they would “be able to celebrate Eid al-Fitr in Aleppo and Damascus soon.” That militant was Abu Muhammad al-Jawlani, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham—the Islamist coalition that took Aleppo by storm last week. As it turns out, his remarks—delivered in April to the leaders of his group’s militant wing—were not mere whimsy. He had a plan. And Eid al-Fitr is still four months away…
