Way back on December 6, 1993, The Independent, a British newspaper, published a feature article written by the late Robert Fisk, a journalist of considerable repute and whom I admired immensely. The piece, titled ‘Anti-Soviet Warrior Puts His Army On The Road To Peace', was a soft-focus portrait of Osama bin Laden, at the time a seemingly benign figure dabbling in Sudanese infrastructure projects and agricultural ventures. According to the article, bin Laden was just another philanthropic “Saudi businessman”, orchestrating road-building campaigns and offering Sudanese children something to dance about. "Chadored children danced in front of him (bin Laden), and preachers acknowledged his wisdom," the article cooed.
Little did the veteran journalist know that this “mountain warrior of mujahideen legend”, as he so poetically was described in the piece, was quietly laying the groundwork for a global jihadist empire. Bin Laden, we were assured, was just a humble construction engineer who didn't have time for training camps because he was too busy building roads. That statement, in hindsight, has haunted many since September 11, 2001.
It feels like déjà vu today. The West's current blindspot is Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its leader, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani—or, as he prefers to be known during his ongoing image makeover, Ahmed al-Sharaa. Until the fall of the Assad regime early this month, al-Jolani was referred to in the Western media and governments by his earlier name.
That's not enough. On Friday, the US government quietly binned its $10 million bounty for al-Jolani. Yes, the same al-Jolani who, not too long ago, topped Washington's "Most Wanted Terrorists" list. Now, he is apparently rebranded as America's new favourite bilateral dialogue partner in Syria. The Assistant Secretary of State, Barbara Leaf, gushed that her meeting with al-Jolani (She said al-Sharaa) was “very productive”,praising his "pragmatism”.
The US delegation touched down in Damascus barely two weeks after al-Jolani's HTS and allies toppled Bashar al-Assad's regime. And yet, officially, HTS remains listed as a terrorist organisation by the same State Department that's now discussing “transition principles” with its representatives. Going by how things are, that tag may also be lifted soon.
From $10 million bounties to "productive discussions"—al-Jolani's journey has been fascinating. But what's been even more telling is the........