Abu Mohammed al-Golani speaks at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, December 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)
THE TIMES OF ISRAEL | Published December 12, 2024
Pentagon welcomes remarks by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader, but stresses ‘actions have to meet words as well’; US defense chief urges ‘close consultation’ with Israel on Syria
Syrian rebel leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, better known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, told Reuters Wednesday that the jihadist group he leads, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), is working with international organizations to secure possible sites where chemical weapons may be located.
HTS, which is rooted in al-Qaeda’s Syria branch but has in recent years sought to moderate its image, had already said that it will not use those weapons under any circumstances.
Shaara said in a written statement shared exclusively with Reuters by his office that the group is now working to “dissolve the security forces of the previous regime and close the notorious prison,” where the government of toppled dictator Bashar al-Assad is estimated to have held tens of thousands of detainees.
He reiterated that he will form a government of technocrats. The current transitional government is set to rule until March 2025, according to a statement by his group.
The Pentagon, in response, said the US welcomes his comments about securing potential chemical weapons sites, but cautioned that “actions have to meet words as well.”
Golani’s comments came as Israel has carried out massive strikes targeting the Assad regime’s military assets, including chemical weapons sites, amid fears that former Syrian army weaponry could fall into the hands of hostile forces in the country, as well as the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
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SOURCE: www.timesofisrael.com
RELATED: Syria rebel leader vows to shut down notorious Assad prisons
A woman looks for relatives after thousands of prisoners were released from Saydnaya prison
BBC NEWS | Published December 12, 2024
Syrian rebel forces have said they plan to close the notoriously harsh prisons run by ousted president Bashar al-Assad and hunt those involved in the killing or torture of detainees.
Rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, also said he would dissolve the security forces of the former regime, in a statement seen by the Reuters news agency.
Videos showing thousands of prisoners being freed from Saydnaya prison – referred to as a “human slaughterhouse” by rights groups – surfaced after the collapse of the Assad government on Sunday.
Almost 60,000 people were tortured and killed in the prisons run by Assad, UK-based monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Jolani’s Islamist militant group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led other Syrian rebel factions in a lightning offensive that toppled the Assad dynasty’s 54-year-rule.
Assad fled to Russia in the early hours of Sunday, where he and his family have been given asylum, after rebels captured the capital Damascus.
In a separate statement, Jolani said pardons for those who took part in the torture or killing of prisoners were out of the question.
“We will pursue them in Syria, and we ask countries to hand over those who fled so we can achieve justice,” he said.
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SOURCE: www.bbc.com
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