Syrian jihadi leader courts Druze community in Idlib

The leader of Hayar Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, continues to promote his image as moderate and close to the public through a series of propaganda efforts. On June 9, he inaugurated a well project to supply water to several villages of the Druze-majority Jabal al-Summaq area of the northern Idlib countryside.

The HTS-affiliated Amjad Media Foundation published a video of Golani meeting with the notables in Jabal al-Summaq. He promised to improve conditions there while highlighting the services already provided by HTS and its affiliated Salvation Government.

Golani also stressed that his visit did not contain any political messages and was entirely focused on providing services to several areas of northwestern Syria.

However, Golani’s remarks during his visit to Jabal al-Summaq were widely seen as religious and as shifting the blame for the abuses against the inhabitants away from HTS. There have also been several questions about the water well project, the details of which have yet to be made public.