Tahrir al-Sham seeks political guise

Sarah Rashad

The media mouthpieces of Syrian militants groups have been singing praises of the political experience of Afghanistan’s Taliban, citing the latter’s expertise to impose itself on the international decision-makers.

However, this sort of discourse cannot be taken out of context. Tahrir al-Sham approved on Sunday the Sochi agreement in a two-page statement, which was described by the Syrian press as “moderate”. Tahrir al-Sham has not declared its stance since Russia and Turkey signed the deal on September 17. Analysts said Tahrir al-Sham’s silence means it rejects the agreement.

The group’s approval is totally different from its previous rejection, when Russian Presdient Vladimir Putin announced the agreement last month. Tahrir al-Sham considered the groups which accepted the deal “infidel”, and even sought pretexts based on sharia, or Islamic law, to kill such groups.

Tahrir al-Sham has included a number of vague and unspecific phrases such as commitment to jihad option and what it described as “principles of the Syrian revolution”, without – deliberately – an overt approval of the Sochi agreement.

The phrasing used by the group’s leaders on Telegram reveals a threat, especially regarding its non-Syrian members. The group voiced gratitude to those who migrated and supported them. “They [non-Syrians] are one of us,” the statement said.

Although Tahrir al-Sham has rejected the political discourse for long, it said the Syrian situation on the ground forced its approval, citing Taliban’s move when it opened an office in Qatar in 2013. Analysts saw that as a turning point.

Tahrir al-Sham considered Taliban’s move as a positive action taken by Afghani organization.

Al-Asyaf Abdel Rahman, top official of Tahrir al-Sham, said on his Telegram channel that Salafi cleric Abu Qatada al-Falastiny had approved Taliban’s move in 2016.

“If your enemy sits for talks with, this will be a victory. Any military achievement should be used politically,” al-Falastiny said.

“You should sit and negotiate with your enemy one day. That means you have become influential. You may argue, citing the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah (Prophet Mohamed [PBUH] signed with people of Mecca).

However, we shouldn’t deal with Tahrir al-Sham’s drawing on Taliban’s experience as something new. The group deems Taliban’s example to be a guarantee to satisfy its political ambitions in Syria.

The group has gone through many transformations since its launch. It has turned against ISIS, aka Daesh, and later it turned against al-Qaeda. Analysts said the group’s leader, Abu Mohammad al-Julani, is a man who is seeking influence and survival.

The first challenge facing Tahrir al-Sham is the foreign takfiris fighting on the Syrian territories.

Moustafa Zahran, a researcher and expert on Turkish affairs, expected the new attitude adopted by Tahrir al-Sham would embarrass it before non-Syrian takfiris.

Zahran expects many of non-Syrian takfiris to join Religious Guards, an affiliate of al-Qaeda in Syria.

“This will be an opportunity for the Religious Guards to snatch the leadership from al-Julani,” Zahran wrote on his study titled “Sochi Results & Turkey’s Scenarios to Deal with Jihadists in Idlib”.

Turkey may militarily end the al-Qaeda affiliated group – Religious Guards. However, that would strengthen ISIS, which seeks any opportunity to resume its operations in Syria.

The groups in Idlib may be disbanded with a campaign on Telegram led by Wahhabi clerics such as Abdullah al-Muhaisseny and Abdel Razek al-Mahdy to save Uighur Muslims in China. This may pull out Uighur Muslims fighting in Syria under the Islamic Party of Turkistan.

Nourhan El-Sheikh, a professor of political science, said Turkey might pull terrorists out of Idlib. She told THE REFERENCE that Turkey is “a pragmatic state” and would ditch takfiris inevitably.