Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, better known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, has said in an exclusive interview with Turkey’s pro-government Yeni Şafak daily that Turkey, which had offered refuge to millions of Syrians during the civil war, will have priority over other countries in the reconstruction of Syria.
An alliance of Syrian rebel groups captured Aleppo and quickly advanced to Damascus, toppling five decades of Assad family rule on December 8 in an operation led by HTS, which is rooted in al-Qaeda’s Syria branch and designated as a terrorist organization by many Western governments.
Jolani discussed the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime and the process of rebuilding Syria in an interview with Yasin Aktay from Yeni Şafak on Wednesday.
When asked about the new Syrian government’s relationship with Turkey and his message to the Turkish people, Jolani said Turkey has embraced and respected Syrians fleeing the war more than any other country. “I’m hoping that Syria will not forget this kindness,” he added.
The HTS leader explained that Turkey will have priority in the reconstruction of the new Syrian state, including mutual trade relations.
“We trust Turkey to share its economic development experience with Syria. We will preserve social ties. … This victory is not only for the Syrian people, but for the Turkish people as well, because it is a victory of the oppressed over the oppressor,” Jolani said.
Since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Turkey has become the country hosting the largest number of Syrian refugees, totaling up to 3.6 million.
Regarding the new government’s plan for the return of refugees, especially those in Turkey, Jolani said a suitable environment must be created for people to return to their hometowns in order to resolve this situation.
“We must build high-quality housing, provide services and then focus on developing the economy. I believe people, at least half of them, will return to Syria in large numbers,” he added.
As the new leadership focuses on rebuilding Syria, Jolani said the immediate priority would be restoring stability and providing essential services, such as security, electricity, food and fuel, to the people.
In the interview, Jolani reflected on the horrors of Sednaya Prison, where the regime carried out mass executions, torture and other atrocities. He emphasized the need to document these crimes to prevent their recurrence and bring those responsible, particularly the torturers, to justice. Jolani also proposed transforming Sednaya Prison into a museum, saying it should be preserved as “a monument to the regime’s crimes against the Syrian people.”
The HTS leader also addressed the rapid fall of the Assad regime, attributing their victory to strategic planning and the people’s determination while clarifying that there were no external agreements with countries like Russia or Iran.
He reiterated the moral foundation of the revolution, saying, “We fought to remove injustice, not to seek revenge,” and pointed to mercy as the key to their victory.