Al-Jolani tells CNN goal is to ‘overthrow’ Assad regime, establish Islamic rule

The leader of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), Abu Mohammed Al-Jolani, announced that the opposition’s goal is to “overthrow the regime” in Syria at a time when his forces and allied factions are advancing towards Homs, the third largest city in the country, after taking control of Aleppo and Hama in recent days.

Al-Jolani, who has begun using his real name Ahmed Al-Sharaa, instead of his nom de guerre, asserted in an interview with CNN: “When we talk about objectives, the goal of the revolution remains the overthrow of this regime. It is our right to use all available means to achieve that goal,” adding “this regime is dead.”

CNN addressed Al-Jolani by his real name, and the female presenter wore a headscarf as she sat across from him and asked about his plans for the future of political life in Syria. He shared that after seizing the cities one by one, the goal was to overthrow President Bashar Al-Assad and establish Islamic rule.

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Al-Jolani indicated his plans to create a government based on institutions and a council “chosen by the people.” He insisted that civilians have nothing to fear in the management of areas controlled by militants in Syria, claiming: “People who fear Islamic governance either have seen incorrect implementations of it or do not understand it properly.”

Al-Jolani also opposed his organisation’s classification as a terrorist movement, describing it as primarily “political and, at the same time, inaccurate,” maintaining that some extreme Islamist practices had created a “divide” between HTS and jihadist groups.

The HTS leader claimed that he was opposed to some of the more brutal methods used by other jihadi groups, which caused him to sever ties with them, stating that he never personally participated in attacks on civilians.

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