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Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi's Blog

"At Trump's Doorstep"- Islamic State Editorial on Meeting Between Ahmad al-Sharaa and Donald Trump

It is no exaggeration to say that Syrian president Ahmad al-Sharaa's meeting with U.S. president Donald Trump in Saudi Arabia- a move largely facilitated by Saudi crown prince Muhammad bin Salman- would have been virtually unthinkable even just six months ago, given Ahmad's leadership of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, which remains designated as a terrorist organisation by the U.S.). Moreover, the meeting led Trump to declare that he will seek to have sanctions on Syria lifted- a move widely hailed as facilitating an opportunity for economic recovery in Syria.

Unsurprisingly, the Islamic State has weighed in on the meeting to berate al-Sharaa (aka Abu Muhammad al-Jowlani) in its latest editorial in the weekly Arabic-language al-Naba' newsletter. The editorial's main points are as follows:

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By Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi  |  Mon, May 19, 2025 8:11 PM  |  Permalink

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's Testimony on Ahmad al-Sharaa (Abu Muhammad al-Jowlani)

The figure of Syria's interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa (previously better known as Abu Muhammad al-Jowlani) has again come into the spotlight recently because of his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Saudi Arabia and Trump's announcement of his intention to lift sanctions on Syria. As such, there will naturally be questions about al-Sharaa's jihadist past and it is very much worthwhile to find, translate and disseminate testimonies on the matter.

As a follow-up to former Islamic State spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani's testimony on al-Sharaa, I present Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's testimony on al-Sharaa, written at the end of March 2013 CE, just prior to Baghdadi's announcement of the 'Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham.' Among the key points of the testimony:

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By Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi  |  Sat, May 17, 2025 8:10 PM  |  Permalink

Photo Essay: The Village of Dabiq

The name of Dabiq has become popularly associated with the Islamic State thanks to its propaganda that has repeatedly invoked the village's name in the context of a supposed end-times battle between the Muslims and the 'Romans.' In the original hadith literature that mentions this battle, the 'Romans' are clearly the Byzantines in historical context, but 'Romans' also became a generalised term to refer to Christians in medieval Arabic literature, and for Islamic State, Dabiq will indeed be the site of a future battle with the Christians/'Crusaders.'

To be sure, references to Dabiq in the group's propaganda have significantly declined since 2016 when the group's English-language magazine of the same name ceased publication in July of that year. Despite the fact the magazine long ceased publication, the magazine is unfortunately the focus of far too much secondary literature on Islamic State propaganda. Even so, the end of the Dabiq magazine does not mean that the group's members and leaders have ceased to believe there will eventually be an end-times battle in Dabiq. For example, in his March 2024 speech "By God this matter will be fulfilled,," Islamic State spokesman Abu Hudhayfa al-Ansari affirmed that "we still await Dabiq day by day." Moreover, when Dabiq itself fell in late 2016 to an offensive by Syrian insurgent groups backed by Turkey, the group's weekly Arabic language al-Naba' newsletter was keen to emphasise that there will still eventually be a great battle at Dabiq, but that this particular battle with the 'apostates' was not it.

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By Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi  |  Fri, May 16, 2025 8:08 PM  |  Permalink

Trump's Announcement of Lifting Sanctions on Syria: A Local Perspective

Since the fall of the Assad regime, one of the most common popular demands inside Syria, particularly among those willing to accept the transitional government, has been the call for the lifting of Western sanctions on Syria. The sanctions, imposed on the Assad regime, certainly did impact livelihoods in regime-held areas, and until now, without the lifting of those sanctions, their impacts have been tangible in areas formerly controlled by the Assad regime, even for visitors from the outside: for example, it is not possible to process online transactions with bank cards and platforms like PayPal if you are using a Syrian network. Nor can you use bank cards from abroad to withdraw money from ATMs inside Syria.

With Trump's announcement of his intention to order an end to U.S. sanctions on Syria, clearly on the urging of Saudi crown prince Muhammad bin Salman (MBS), there has understandably been much joy within Syria, with widespread hope that the country will finally begin to see much needed cash inflow and economic recovery. The celebrations have been accompanied by expressions of support for both Trump and MBS.

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By Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi  |  Wed, May 14, 2025 8:07 PM  |  Permalink

An Account of Liwa al-Baqir's Defection from the Assad Regime and Iran

Of the various Syrian groups that were identified under the 'Islamic Resistance in Syria' brand and formed part of the Iranian and Hezbollah-backed 'Local Defence Forces' network, Liwa al-Baqir ("The Baqir Brigade") was arguably the most well-known among them. Originating from Aleppo province and rooted in Bekara tribesmen, the group was thought to be one of the strongest allies for Iran and Hezbollah in Syria.

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By Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi  |  Sat, May 10, 2025 8:06 PM  |  Permalink

The Situation in al-Suwayda': A Local Media Activist Perspective

The primarily Druze province of al-Suwayda' in southern Syria and the wider Druze community in Syria have come to the forefront of media attention and analytical focus after the recent violence against Druze in the Damascus suburbs of Jaramana and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya and the reports of a new 'agreement' between the central government and the Druze religious and armed faction leaders.

A reader noted, with some justification, that my interviews with local sources have perhaps tended too heavily towards armed factions rather than civilians. Accordingly, I present here an interview on the current situation with 'Nur Saab', an independent media activist based in the al-Suwayda' locality of al-Qurayya, which lies south of al-Suwayda' city and is near the border with Deraa province. His hope is that through this interview and clarification of the situation, true de-escalation can be achieved- and it is what I hope for as well.

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By Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi  |  Mon, May 5, 2025 8:05 PM  |  Permalink

Druze Factions of al-Suwayda': Interview with Bayraq Sulayman bin Dawud

Reports have now emerged of a new agreement between the central government in Damascus and Druze religious and military leaders in the primarily Druze province of al-Suwayda' in southern Syria. The new reported agreement, which includes stipulation of activating the role of police and law enforcement comprising local personnel, reflects yet another reiteration of prior demands and reported agreements. While it is now reported that local police has begun to deploy in the northern border village of al-Sawar al-Kabira where the central government's Public Security Apparatus had deployed following attacks on the village by non-Druze armed gangs, it remains to be seen whether the reported agreement is actually implemented, or is just another case of the same demands being echoed as understandings on paper without real implementation.

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By Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi  |  Sun, May 4, 2025 8:04 PM  |  Permalink

Al-Jazeera's Interview with Syrian Druze Leader Layth al-Balous

A conventional picture emerging in analysis of the situation regarding the primarily Druze province of al-Suwayda' and relations with the new Syrian central government is that the Druze leadership- both military and spiritual- has largely come to agreement with the new government on matters of administration and security, while Hikmat al-Hijri- one of the three mashayakh al-aql (most senior spiritual Syrian Druze leaders)- and his followers are supposedly the rejectionists and spoilers. In this supposed dichotomy, Layth al-Balous- son of Wahid al-Balous who established the Rijal al-Karama movement and responsible for the 'al-Karama Guesthouse' in al-Suwayda' province- is upheld as a key Druze leader standing with the new Syrian government. Some non-Druze supporters of the new government even promote him as a potential candidate to be one of the future mashaykh al-aql.

But this portrait of Layth al-Balous is based on a rather superficial reading of news reports and statements. A closer examination of his discourse- most notably, his recent interview with al-Jazeera Arabic- would suggest that the divisions among the Druze religious and military leaders are being exaggerated.

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By Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi  |  Sat, May 3, 2025 8:04 PM  |  Permalink

The Military Council in al-Suwayda': Interview

Amid the recent events in Syria involving sectarian violence against members of the Druze community, it is apparent that too much of the commentary is not based on long-term tracking of or contact with the various Druze armed groups that have come to prominence in the country during the civil war and following the downfall of the Assad regime. There will be greater clarity on the current situation if the positions and orientations of these groups are properly understood.

The 'Military Council in al-Suwayda" is one of the more prominent newer Druze factions, having been set up in the primarily Druze province of al-Suwayda' in southern Syria. It announced itself publicly following the fall of the Assad regime. On 21 April (i.e. prior to the recent clashes in Jaramana and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya), I conducted an interview with Tariq al-Shoufi, who heads the Military Council in al-Suwayda'. In the interview I discuss various issues with him such as the group's alleged affiliation with Hikmat al-Hijri (one of the three main Druze spiritual leaders in Syria) and relations with Israel. Any parenthetical insertions in square brackets are my own.

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By Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi  |  Fri, May 2, 2025 8:03 PM  |  Permalink

Islamic State Report on Operations against the SDF in Syria

Although the Islamic State has repeatedly railed in its propaganda against the new central Syrian government under President Ahmad al-Sharaa (Abu Muhammad al-Jowlani), seeing it (unsurprisingly) as an 'apostate' entity that should be fought and overthrown, the group has yet to claim any military operations against it. This may be because planned attacks have been disrupted and/or the group does not wish to compromise the security of its cells operating within the central government-held territory.

In contrast, the group continues to claim attacks against the U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) based in the north and east of Syria, where the group still remains autonomous, in control of strategic resources and responsible for day-to-day management, despite the March agreement with the central government seeking to merge the SDF into the new Syrian state.

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By Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi  |  Fri, May 2, 2025 8:02 PM  |  Permalink

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