Syria not a threat to world, rebel leader says

Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria’s de facto leader, has stated that the war-torn country poses no threat to its neighbours or the West and called for the lifting of sanctions.

Speaking to the BBC in Damascus, he argued that sanctions were aimed at the old regime and should no longer apply. “The victim and the oppressor should not be treated the same,” he said.

Al-Sharaa, leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led the recent offensive that ousted Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Formerly known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, he now advocates for HTS to be removed from terrorist organisation lists. HTS, a splinter group of al-Qaeda until 2016, is still designated a terrorist group by the UN, US, EU, and UK.

He denied that HTS targets civilians, claiming instead that they are victims of Assad’s crimes.

via BBC