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.

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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.

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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.'

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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.

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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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https://www.aymennaltamimi.com/p/an-account-of-liwa-al-baqirs-defection

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