ALBAWABA - In an exclusive CNN interview, Syrian opposition leader Abu Mohammad al-Joulani said the opposition's recent efforts aim to oust President Bashar al-Assad and establish an institution-based state.
Al-Joulani stressed that the Syrian revolution's goal is to overthrow the Assad dictatorship and that the opposition should use all methods.
Al-Joulani proposed an institutional administration and a council elected by the Syrian people in his first public appearance in years. He called the Assad regime a relic, saying, “The seeds of its collapse were always present. Iran and Russia tried to keep it alive, but the government is dead.”
Al-Joulani assured citizens in opposition-controlled regions that they have nothing to worry. He said fears of Islamic authority were due to bad implementations or misconceptions and emphasized preserving ethnic and religious minorities. “These communities have coexisted for centuries, and no one has the right to eliminate them,” he said.
According to CNN, Ahmad al-Sharaa, al-Joulani, wanted foreign forces out of Syria “once the Assad regime falls, there will no longer be a need for any foreign military presence.”
He accused the Assad family of killing hundreds of thousands, imprisoning dissidents, and displacing millions throughout decades of dictatorial control. He continued, “Syria deserves a government of institutions, not one where a single ruler makes arbitrary decisions.”
The opposition's objective goes beyond battling Assad, Al-Joulani said. “Our larger project is rebuilding Syria. HTS is merely one element of this process and could dissolve at any point. He said it was just a tool to solve the problem.
He denied that HTS was a terrorist organization, calling it political. Al-Joulani also distanced himself from ruthless jihadist groups, saying such tactics destroyed his relations with them. He reiterated that he never attacked civilians.
