Thread by @BroderickM_

Quick thread on #Jolani — the leader of #HTS which captured #Aleppo yesterday🧵

Still seeing media describe him as #AlQaeda and #ISIS despite him breaking with them years ago. While he is a Salafi-Jihadist (& designated by #UN #US #UK #EU) he has moderated signifcantly.. #Syria

Jolani started out in the global jihadist movement as an #ISIS commander in #Nineveh and #Mosul crossing from #Syria to #Iraq in 2003 after the US Invasion.

Back then he wore military fatigues and hid his face. Nowadays he wears western suits and speaks at press conferences

When Jolani went to #Iraq in 2003, the #Assad regime was allowing (and even facilitating) the transfer of young men who wanted to cross the border & fight the #US

This got them out of #Syria and helped Assad to oppose the US invasion

#Jolani was arrested in #Iraq by the #Americans and imprisoned in the notorious #CampBucca in 2006. He was there for 2 years and he used this time to network with other jihadists and he claims to have written a 40-page blueprint for capturing #Syria (now lost or destroyed)

After being released from Camp Bucca in #Iraq he served as a #ISIS commander near #Mosul before being sent to #Sryia in 2011 by #ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. His goal was to establish an #ISIS affiliate in Syria and take advantage of the chaos of the #SyrianCivilWar

However he broke from #ISIS in April 2013 after the group tried to subsume his affiliate #AlNusra & disagreeing on the best approach (sectarianism and unrestrained jihadism of #Zarqawi or the moderate constrained approach of #Jolani) #Syria #Aleppo

After leaving #ISIS, he joined #AlQaeda and pledged bay'ah to AQ's leader #Zawahiri. However this was mainly to keep hardliners with #Nusra and didnt last long

In 2016 he broke again from Al Qaeda and formed #JFS and later #HTS in 2017.

Since his break from #ISIS in 2013 and #AlQaeda in 2016, he has significantly moderated his approach and practiced 'constrained jihadism'.

Media claiming that he is an #AQ or #IS member are inaccurate and outdated #Syria #Aleppo

Jolani is a leader in the new generation of Jihadists who realize the sectarian violence, hate, and terror tactics of #ISIS & #AlQaeda were a losing strategy

He has developed a new model of 'Constrained Jihadism' which is pragmatic & local - rather than globalist & unrestrained

There is no guarantee he will not return to his old methods in the future but for now he has shown some signs of genuine moderation & claims that he is part of #AQ or #ISIS are innaccurate