in 2009, al qaeda in yemen and al qaeda operatives in saudi arabia merged and al qaeda in the arabian group in in north peninsula. a group in in north africa became al qaeda and the islamic maghreb after 2006 or seven, al shabaab in somalia declared allegiance to al qaeda in al 2012. qaeda in syria was established under various names with the beginning of the syrian civil war. and then the only and then al qaeda in the indian subcontinent was established by ayman al zaw zawahiri, the emir of al qaeda in 2014. taking advantage of conditions in various areas and sending emissaries was how they expanded. it's one of al qaeda's successes in the islamic state as well in being able to spread their reach after 9/11. >> i have one quick follow-up. so how should we think post metastasizing about the significance of afghanistan distinct from these new theaters? because i think that's one of the questions for an educated lay audience that is elusive. >> al qaeda remained in the afghanistan pakistan border region. a few leaders led to iran, some are still there after 9/11 but most went to pakista

from the way they have operated _ al-qaeda. from the way they have operated in _ al-qaeda.ed in the - al-qaeda. from the way they have operated in the north i al-qaeda. from the way they have operated in the north ofj have operated in the north of syria, what can we learn from that? we have heard they operated a strict sharia law but we have also heard hts contributed to funding for the reconstruction of christian churches so what can we learn from all of that?— from all of that? the hts is a brand of islam _ from all of that? the hts is a brand of islam and _ from all of that? the hts is a brand of islam and has - from all of that? the hts is a brand of islam and has been l brand of islam and has been practised within its strongholds until recently, was very much influenced by islam and socially conservative norms like women covering their hair. but you didn't have this widespread implementation of punishments like cutting off hands of thieves so notoriously associated with groups like as associated with groups like as a mixed age. with regards to minorities, there were is

to speak to al-qaeda and iraq being a manufactured enemy, i read the flyers that al-qaeda published in content and handed to the city council president accusing him of being a traitor and telling him there going to kill him and his entire family if he didn't leave and stop working with the americans. it's ludicrous to say al-qaeda is an invention of the cia, that we have and poses an hour or so, we're killing ourselves in there. those unfortunate statements and don't help bring us toward some sort of successful outcometestee nation's capital. >> ladies and gentlemen, i want to introduce to you a young man you probably have seen on television quite a bit lately, his name is lieutenant pete hegseth, army national guard, executive director of the vets for freedom. i've watched this young man and he has begun his career as a television pontificator pundit. no, none of that. patriot. it was the key word i was looking for. he's done a marvelous job of speaking for all of us and we're so very proud of him. pete. [applause] i don't know how you follow a guy like chris hill. i got bill of goods

destroyed all of the islamic state sales in the area they were controlling in idlib as well as al-qaedas well. it is a complicated issue because even though they are no longer a part of the global gerhardie movement, they still ruled idlib like an authoritarian regime since they are still conservative islamist �*s. we conservative islamist 's. we have seen — conservative islamist 's. we have seen some _ conservative islamist 's. we have seen some optimism on the streets of serious capital that hts has moved away from its jihadist past but as you've been describing it, is it too soon to assume that? i been describing it, is it too soon to assume that?- been describing it, is it too soon to assume that? i do think so. in soon to assume that? i do think s0- in the _ soon to assume that? i do think so. in the past _ soon to assume that? i do think so. in the past we _ soon to assume that? i do think so. in the past we have - soon to assume that? i do think so. in the past we have seen . so. in the past we have seen abu mohammed al—jolani pivot at various points, whether it was from isis in

hts, as you said, used to be al-qaeda's affiliate in syria but they broke ties with al-qaeda in 2016ntly signalled their separation from thejihadist in changing their rhetoric, this has been going on for many years, since 2016. initially that separation from al-qaeda was seen as a cosmetic move, change of name, but over the years, hts turned their guns against al-qaeda. at some point the two groups clashed in syria and they help marginalise al-qaeda's presence and the presence of foreign fighters in syria, so they have been trying for years, really, to get some kind of recognition, trying to appeal to locals as well as regional powers. and, as hts moved away from al-qaeda, al—jolani has changed his appearance as well. what are his personal ambitions? does he aspire to be the next leader of syria? i think that is very likely. and it is really interesting. up until two weeks ago, al—jolani was facing protests in idlib against his rule, calling for his toppling, and comparing his security forces to what is called kind of henchmen, a very derogatory term, so for over a year, he and his g

all qaeda chooses to make iraq the frontline and al qaeda was not in iraq. secondly you speak of abu ghraib was an aberration. and soldiers chose to do this on their own. the report was for the highest in the military and being complicit in his complicit. thank you sir. i think the administration did itself a great disservice trying to tie all qaeda toid hussein's still in doing so has made people step back and think i don't think we are really fighting al qaeda. but it can be further from the truth. that may be where we have decided to fight them. they want to fight us and they have decided in america -- what the caller was saying is all qaeda wasn't there before we entered. al qaeda was looking for any battlefield. it was in afghanistan first to get ridha of hussein and whether or not that was the right decision is for the history books right now but where we are is in the battle for al qaeda wn iraq and it needs to be completed. as for abu ghraib if you look at the way the people were treated it was a shame and it's a problem. we have compared with the wa

itjust to be al-qaeda's branch in syria. years ago it broke ties with al-qaeda.re the turkey backed rebels that controlled a small part of northern syria in aleppo, and the kurdish led forces that control the north—east of syria. we also have isis that carries out attacks in the country but it doesn't control territory. country but it doesn't control territo . �* , . , , ., country but it doesn't control territory-— territory. let's assume a on hts, territory. let's assume a on hrs, the — territory. let's assume a on hts, the surprise _ territory. let's assume a on| hts, the surprise offensive. they have taken over aleppo and are moving south. it is they have taken over aleppo and are moving south.— are moving south. it is a very interesting — are moving south. it is a very interesting group. _ are moving south. it is a very interesting group. it - are moving south. it is a very interesting group. it used - are moving south. it is a very interesting group. it used to | interesting group. it used to be al-qaeda's branch in syria. in 2006 in 2016 they broke ties wi

they started maybe as part of al-qaeda, but now they are syrians, purely they are syrians.will see good things from these guys. noor is a nurse. she believes hts won't impose hardline rule, especially on women. "they are from our country, they are not islamic state. "we're not afraid of them. "i don't think they will force us to cover ourselves from head to toe." today, the man at the centre of it all, dressed in his usual military attire, hts leader mohammed abu al—jolani, met the interim prime minister to discuss the way forward. so far, there is little clarity on what that could be. damascus is still largely shut down, and there is a curfew from dusk till dawn. at a police station, we met hts men brought in to protect it. we asked what would happen to the men who fought for assad. translation: our revolution is not for revenge. _ any policeman who does not have blood on their hands, we will work with them. the looting and vandalising that was seen on the first day, that appears to have stopped today. what we've seen at government buildings, public places, markets, is tha

i previous links with al-qaeda, what do you make of that?— do you make of that?r you want to believe like he _ do you make of that? i never you want to believe like he looks - do you make of that? i never you want to believe like he looks like| want to believe like he looks like he is trying to refashion himself as a modern day shaikh 0�*hara, he is trying to refashion himself as a modern day shaikh o�*hara, and in many ways he�*s pretty polished, you saw his cnn interview, he said in the right things, almost looks like you been coach, talking about institution building, we have to look at his past, his affiliation with al-qaeda and previously and is notjust him he may have changed and that me the true, but there are lots of other individuals in the broader and barrel umbrella of hts and overseas including elements like the turkestan islamic party, which has weakerjihadists and others from central asia, so it�*s that difficult job to parse out what is going on and figure out in these early hours and figure out in these early hours and days what is going to happen

it's a haven for al-qaeda.t's a pr bonanza for our enemies around the world, and i think it's a great destabilizer for the region, as a previous caller has said. >> host: should troops -- should the administration be withdrawing troops in september if the surge is not working? >> guest: new york i don't. i don't think you can -- maybe on some level they'll decide to do that. but saying in september the surge hasn't worked is not something that can be done. you can't effectively evaluate a counterinsurgency strategy in nine months, especially when we've totally turned around a ship, implement a new strategy. you can't say in nine months taos -- it's too easy to make that argument without backing it up with data. a few car bombings bring in massive casualties this week and they're all unfortunate, but it isn't a reflection of a failed strategy. and neither are very unfortunate american casualties. people are going to talk about metrics and lost american soldiers. and, you know what? if wee lost people when i was

qaeda's deputy in syria. that was his job. he formed what was known as the nusra front. a terrorist organization. he largely wore a mask. he didn't show his face even in public. some didn't even know what he actually looked like. wasn't until later whenever the isis invasion of northern iraq, the collapse of al qaeda, that he took on this different role. forming hts. and while he has moved to be more a civil leader, trying to bring in agriculture, develop an economy, really become a governor of his territory near idlib where he was at, we should all be very worried that it will take an islamist turn. one thing of note, there are many factions in syria that will likely battle it out with golani over time. this is a very unstable and fluid situation. not that different than what we saw at the fall of afghanistan. but also more similar maybe to libya. if you remember after libya and gadhafi were toppled, many factions competing there and it was a long time before stability or any form of stability, if you could

in the intervening years, they cut ties with al-qaeda, they actually fought al-qaeda loyalists in northern bloody battles against them back in 2014 before expelling them out of the territory that this organisation, hts, controls. they have opened up to the christian community in north—western syria and aleppo, very unlike al-qaeda or the islamic state. they have sent a message trying to reassure the syrian alawi community, again very unlike al-qaeda or the islamic state, and they seem to be relatively competent managers of cities. there are syrian—american medical organisations that have been running hospitals and clinics in the territories controlled by hts and their leaderships have told me several times during the last years that they are able to work smoothly without difficulty from this hts organisation. police in new york say the search for the killer plenty more on that story and the bbc website. let's head now to new york, because police say the search for the killer of the us insurance executive brian thompson has been widened to at least two more states — newjersey and connecticu

rebel group, who have their roots in the jihadist movement, they were originally an offshoot of al qaedae been trying to buff up their image and change their image, dilute that jihadist element -- still islamist, but saying they just want an islamic system inside syria, not a wider caliphate, which was being talked about by al qaeda 10 years ago. that is because it syrians are fed up with and repelled by extreme religious rhetoric. that might be making them more popular than otherwise they might be. lewis: jeremy, thank you very much for that. here in the u.k., tv presenter gregg wallace has apologized for claiming complaints about his behavior came from "a handful of middle-class women of a certain age." heays he is going to take some time out. it comes after days of allegations about inappropriate comments over many years. tonight's episode of "masterchef" will be broadcast as planned. the bbc says it is life-changing for the chefs who take part as contestants and is about more than one person. >> i want to apologize for any offense that i caused with my post yesterday and in the upset

do not agree with them politically and in other ways, but they were the ones that defeated the al-qaedat don't follow, but they are just one of many and they're not there to rule anyone like that taliban. i5 there to rule anyone like that taliban. , ., , ., ., taliban. is there a period of instability. _ taliban. is there a period of instability, which _ taliban. is there a period of instability, which one - taliban. is there a period of instability, which one might imagine in some circumstances, we have heard from minorities, other whites, chris stephens, dues and so on who might be concerned about what this might mean, 7 concerned about what this might mean,? �* . ., concerned about what this might mean,? �* . . , ., concerned about what this might mean,? �* . ., mean,? i'm excited that you say ou're mean,? i'm excited that you say you're hearing — mean,? i'm excited that you say you're hearing from _ mean,? i'm excited that you say you're hearing from them, - mean,? i'm excited that you say you're hearing from them, but l you're hearing from them, but your sins are concerned, i'm sur

sus vÍnculos con al-qaeda se remontan a 2003.vista en 2021, dijo que su grupo no representaba una amenaza para occidente. en otras noticias, la catedral de notre dame tuvo su primera misa despuÉs de estar cerrada por cinco aÑos y medio tras un dramÁtico incendio. aleluya! aleluya! >> tÚ, el arzobispo oficiÓ a misa inaugural ante 2500 espectadores y 170 obispos de todo el mundo. >> el presidente francÉs emmanuel macron tambiÉn estuvo presente durante la ceremonia. se consagrÓ un nuevo altar de bronce. bueno, es un tema que ha dividido a colombia y a venezuela, pero no es la polÍtica ni el fÚtbol. es que ambos reclaman ser los creadores de la arepa. y a pesar de que algunos expertos sugieren que es un alimento compartido por ambas culturas, el debate sobre su origen ha llegado incluso a las redes sociales. zulay cross nos amplia. >> es una delicia hecha a base de maÍz, pero preguntarle a un colombiano o a un venezolano dÓnde se originÓ y quiÉn la hace mejor es caer en medio del debate. >> para usted, quÉ fue primero, la arepa venez

they have their roots in al-qaeda but are trying to rebrand themselves as a nationalist force.idlib in the northwest, they launched a surprise lightning campaign last week. they took aleppo, the country's second—largest city, and continue to push south. this is their leader, abu mohammad al—jolani. in this interview to cnn, he said the goal was to topple the assad regime and bring syrian refugees back home. translation: people will return to their homes. - many refugees in turkey will likely return as well as a significant number of refugees in lebanon and jordan. even refugees in europe may return to rebuild their country. they are vowing to reach damascus, and bashar al—assad is struggling to stop them. in the past, he relied heavily on russia and iran to fight the opposition. but both allies are preoccupied with their own affairs. the rebels have the momentum, and the regime in powerfor 2a years is increasingly under threat. hugo bachega, bbc news, on the turkish—syrian border. in the past hour the white house press secretary gave us its perspective on the situation in syria

but why did they joined al qaeda? that's the question. what did you think can feel on $911.00? at the time? anyone who lived in his lumnick or eric wood at the time, who tells you he wasn't happy about? it would be like the, you're recognized your designated as a terrorist by the united states, by the united nations, by mindy, govern what he said. and that's as unfair characterization. it's a political label that carried no truthful credibility. we haven't posed any threat to western or european society the well, you've seen it all the founder of the serial analysis platform and keep all called must yeah. and says that the, if terrorists are able to release that accomplishes from presence of a situation in the country with further detail create, there are multiple insurgents groups affiliated with. and those are front and a curvy similar aflac to isis. and some of them are wearing ice dispatch. we also saw the isis and other stuff flags in northern the attack you, i'm not sure if this in a has the capacity to free the

in the northwest, there were remnants of the more extreme this sunni movements, isis, al qaeda, centeredd the city to the north of aleppo. that is where groups established a small form of government and control and a military industry of a population of maybe a couple million over a period of years. i didn't really sense the strength that movement was developing. worst people were soup -- most people were surprised by what happened. that popular resistance existed in the northwest to complement the kurdish rebels or movement in the northeast. and some small movements here and there with tiny pockets of land in the south. that all came together in the last few weeks as president assad's supporters lost their way and ability to help him and his regime started to just dissolve before our eyes. host: what do we know about the leader of the organization that now is holding damascus, essentially and seems to be leading most of that country? what do we know about the leader? guest: we know three big things and they push and pull in opposite directions. one is that he is obviously an effective m

is going to want to be very careful and sure of is that isis and al qaeda and or al qaeda do not come to power in syria or do not have influence. and that's still to be determined, because while the current group may may have rejected al qaeda a few years back, they had those ties and might they turn to al qaeda if iran and or russia gets back in the fight, tries to bring bashar al assad or another leader back in a place that's more friendly to their regime. and if they do, will they turn to the hardened fighters that al qaeda and isis have? and if they do, then what will the united states and our allies in israel do? >> right. and does this have the potential to turn into another iraq or afghanistan? what are your thoughts on that? >> well, look, you know, there we do see these these these factions having been present in iraq. obviously, isis grew out of the iraq conflict and then spread into syria. that's what prompted the u.s. to intervene in part, the first time as an intervention that we've now continued all the way to the present day with those 2000 forces. so there is a possibi

in the intervening years, they cut ties with al-qaeda, they actually fought al-qaeda loyalists in northernies to the islamic state and fought hard bloody battles against them back in 2014 before expelling them out of the territory that this organisation, hts, controls. they have opened up to the christian community in north—western syria and aleppo, very unlike al-qaeda or the islamic state. they have sent a message trying to reassure the syrian community and they seem to be very competent managers of cities. there are syrian—american medical organisations that have been running hospitals and clinics in the territories controlled by hts and their leaderships have told me several times during the last years that they are able to work smoothly without difficulty from this hts organisation. that was the former us ambassador talking to me a short time ago. police in new york are continuing their hunt for the man who shot dead the boss of one of the biggest companies in the world. on thursday, detectives shared new images of the man they want to question over the shooting of the unitedhealthcar

you've got jabhat al-nusra, which was the al qaeda group.y have been weakened because hayat tahrir al-sham, which has now separated from them, they have discarded al qaeda, at least. so they say. they're the ones who look to be the most successful thus far, backed by turkey. then you've got other groups like the like the kurds, who are backed by us. currently, we have 2000 american troops there backing the kurds up in the north. they have their own interests. and so there are a lot of different players, as you say. and the question for syria is can these groups get together? and by the way, their syrian christians as well, syrian druze, how are they? they've always been an oppressed minority in syria. how are they going to face the challenges now, particularly if a if a islamist government or a or even worse, an al qaeda or isis affiliated government comes to power, whether whether through simply power, you know, taking power or through free and fair elections, and then what happens to those minority groups? that's the hard question for syri

the rebels, have former links to al-qaeda, and are on the move again after being forced into retreats ago. but in just 10 days they have taken control of syria's second largest city aleppo. another major city, hama, fell yesterday, and now they have reached homs. they also have their sights on the capital damascus — a stronghold of syrian president bashar al—assad and government forces. the government's loss of territory comes as backers russia, iran, and hezbollah, find themselves stretched in other conflicts. with all the latest from the turkey—syrian border, here's hugo bachega. syrian rebels on their way to homs, their offensive has been swift and astonishing. here, they celebrate as they capture another town without facing any resistance. they also had no opposition in hama, chanting, god is greatest, crowds gathered. to welcome the fighters. they also seized this army base, symbolic as the military struggles to counter their progress. the civil war in syria started in 2011 when president bashar al—assad crushed protests against his regime. homs, a rebel stronghold, was under si

they called themselves isis or al qaeda but right now we have an opportunity. we have an opportunity to work with what will be a new government. but if they're isolated and if they are forced into a corner, they will turn to the islamic rhetoric of isis. and al qaida doesn't have to happen, but it could you know, i thought it was interesting, congressman, that both president biden and prime minister netanyahu today both credited israel's military actions against hezbollah in lebanon and iran for that matter, for paving the way for bashar al assad to fall. >> how do you see these extraordinary events reshaping potentially the balance of power in the middle east? >> you used the correct word reshaping and in that reshaping, there are opportunities. and there are also extraordinary risks. clearly israel's attacks into lebanon and also into syria, taking on hezbollah as well as russia's inability to support the assad regime because they are totally occupied in ukraine. those are factors that have clearly led to the rebel group being able to move quickly and success

the rebels who toppled assad previously linked to al qaeda. president-elect trump saying he wants the u.s. to stay out, arguing it's not our fight, and what it could mean for the roughly 900 troops inside syria, some carrying out air strikes on isis positions today. james longman from the middle east and martha raddatz on the road ahead. >>> also tonight, a new look at the suspect wanted in the shooting death of unitedhealthcare executive brian thompson. the search expanding far beyond new york city. divers scouring a lake in central park looking for the murder weapon and what police found inside a backpack possibly linked to the shooter. >> president-elect trump says he intends to pardon many of the january 6th defendants on day one and he wants to investigate members of the congressional committee that held hearings on the riots, calling out two members by name. >> chaos at a holiday parade. a police motorcycle veers into a crowd with multiple injuries. >>> the rebirth of notre dame. the first mass is celebrated five years after that devasta

it is now being called, are also a prescribed terrorist organisation in the uk, as an alias of al-qaeda. that should rightly make us cautious. thus far, hts has offered reassurances to those in aleppo, hama and damascus. they have committed to cooperate with the international community that is monitoring chemical weapons. we willjudge hts by the actions, monitoring closely how they and other parties to this conflict treat all civilians in the areas they control. the uk and our allies have spent over a decade combating terrorism in syria. daesh remains one of the most significant terrorist threats to the uk. to our allies and our interests overseas. we take seriously our duty as government to protect the public from this and other terrorist threats. i made this uncertainty, the government has three priorities. first and foremost, protecting all civilians, including, of course, minorities. for more than a decade, syria has been wracked by terrible sectarian violence. we continue to do what we can to provide humanitarian support wherever we can. the uk has spent over £4 billion on the syri

they are not isis or al-qaeda. they have some pretty suspect links.proscribed terrorist organisation by many governments. the terrorist organisation by many governments.— terrorist organisation by many governments. the eu, the un, the united _ governments. the eu, the un, the united states. _ governments. the eu, the un, the united states. indeed. - governments. the eu, the un, the united states. indeed. sol the united states. indeed. so the united states. indeed. so the will the united states. indeed. so they will have _ the united states. indeed. so they will have to _ the united states. indeed. so they will have to prove - they will have to prove themselves. if they manage to topple president bashar al—assad's regime in the next few days or even hours or weeks, and take power, they will be at a fork. they can go one of two macro ways. they can be intelligent about this and do exactly what they said they were going to do, which is to rule the country for the benefit of all syrians and not to persecute minorities, in which case, they will eventually,

and that we were going to launch a global war on terrorism against al qaeda. and then here we are 10 years later providing weapons, financial aid, training to the descendants, the logical descendants about kinda, you know, hollywood script writer couldn't make up something. so bizarre and ridiculous, but that's exactly what's going on. now the united states and the fact that ukrainians are involved, nobody should harbor any illusion. so this is somehow an initiative by ukraine on its own habits. know that again, ukraine is really under the thumb of the west as well. it's a to. busy of nato. and so by virtue of ukrainian officers and trainers being working side by side, it's not surprising the nazis would be there with these as law making streams. all they're doing so with the blessing and support of the west. so i'm not shocked by it at all. we have most guys been pointing to kids role in the syrian crisis, but the west has been in denial. do you think these latest revelations will be a wake up call? well, wake up call for who, you know this. so rush has been

, but split from al-qaeda, but split from al-qaeda and to establish and is only state in syria, and theidlib, under control of the regime. the advancement and reports coming that the military control or seized back some of the villages taken by the rebel groups. there is a lot going on on the ground, and in addition, the russian air forces struck many bases in italy which is the stronghold of the opposition, some civilians were killed. it was a surprise because 50,000 people were displaced because of what is happening in the last three orfour days. what about diplomatic efforts to try and ease tensions? the call from the syrian that we should be respecting and implementing the security council's resolution which was issued in 2015, which led the way to a base map in syria in addition to that the foreign minister of iran was yesterday in damascus and is today in ankara meet the officials in turkey in order to find a solution for that. also talks between saudi arabia and turkey because of the relationship between them and around and russia were determined to support them in order to get b

his problem — connection with al-qaeda. his problem is that a lot of syrians don't believe him.tonight, sir keir starmer defends the government's decision not to pay compensation to women adversely affected by rises to the state pension age. in france, as the rape trial of gisele pelicot draws to a close, we speak to the daughter of one of the 50 men accused of attacking her. we are being shot at by a gang memberfrom that we are being shot at by a gang member from that direction. we have a special report from haiti, a country where armed gangs rule the streets. chris and dianne! and after lifting the strictly glitterball, chris mccausland tells us how he hopes his victory will help change attitudes towards people with disabilities. on newsnight at 10.30pm tonight, we'll bring you fresh insight on the stories of the day, with big interviews and our regular panel of newsnighters — and of course, look at what the papers are saying about tomorrow's news. good evening. the head of the most powerful group in the rebel alliance now in control in syria has told the bbc the country is ex

it is kind of a religious organisation that has links to al-qaeda, historical leaks to al-qaeda i should that arp particularly secular and the preventing feeling is there is hope this could be a much safer regime, but it is fundamentally much too early to tell. �* . ., , ., ~' fundamentally much too early to tell. �* . ., , ., ~ , tell. and what do you think is america's _ tell. and what do you think is america's attitude _ tell. and what do you think is america's attitude to - tell. and what do you think is america's attitude to syria? i america's attitude to syria? because we know antony blinken is on his way to address middle east to address the whole issue of what happens next but also we have donald trump me back into the white house saying syria is a mess and that the us should have nothing to do with it. ~ ~' , it. well, i think he will see exactly that. _ it. well, i think he will see exactly that. due - it. well, i think he will see exactly that. due to - it. well, i think he will see exactly that. due to the i exactly that. due to the shifting attitudes and you have it on_ shif

probably not because as alecia said, it is a regime that was affiliated with al qaeda.hey say they are no longer but we don't know what that is going to look like yet so there are many questions what the implications will be for the wider region but also for the west. >> you made a good point actually about president assad. the reuters agency is saying president assad is on his plane to an unknown location, may be russia. what do you make of the role of his allies and what they are saying or what they are not saying right now? >> the two main allies of assad obviously iran and russia both of which are tied up in very large conflicts elsewhere at the moment so timing -wise, it's going to be quite difficult for assad because these two people he normally would rely on, these two states he normally would lean on in a time like this are how going to have their focus elsewhere at the moment so maybe he has gone to one of these regions were he knows that is probably the safest place he could be at the moment but in terms of the attention being drawn to syria and what is happen

he says the new group is no longer linked to al qaeda. many syrians are skeptical.bowen sat down with ya ahmed al-sharaa and joins us now. really interesting interview. give us a sense of what he was like. >> he comes across as actually a highly intelligent man. i would say he comes across as a man that is very politically astute. like a lot of astute politicians, he sometimes seemed reluctant to give a straight answer to a straight question. that will not necessarily allay people's fears. they look back at his history. this is a man with a long record as a jihadist fighter before 2016 when he broke with al qaeda. but, his record goes back to fighting in the insurgency against the americans in iraq 20 odd years ago. >> did you get a sense from your interview of what kind of government he and his group intend to build? >> well, without a doubt, he is an islamist. he says that. but, the way they presented themselves is as a group that is prepared to tolerate those people that are not devout sunni muslims . syria is a diverse country. there are shia muslims, there are

they had organically they have been affiliated previously with al qaeda. had some contact with islamic state as well. they have since renewed themselves and they are now fighting. had previously fought al qaeda. th are sending messages to christian groups, to already groups. what kind of power structure and what kind of grouping will they be if they manage to hold these areas? >> the first question which is will they be able to retain control over these areas even after potentially posing a direct threat to the assad regime? potentially taking the regime out in its capital damascus. that is quite uncertain. while this was an offensive that had a lot of momentum, there still is a lot of fragility and a bit of fragmentation among the opposition forces. we have seen in fighting between the national army primarily backed by turkiye. this could likely happen again. there is the question of will hts keep up this more moderate face that it is putting in areas like aleppo where they have tried to put to the electricity grid back on. they have resumed bus lines. th

that some of them are islamists and some of them are even jihadists, or have been affiliated with al qaeda or a proscribed organizations. but let us have this moment let us celebrate the fact that this brutal dictator who has ruthlessly killed hundreds of thousands of people who has gassed children with lethal nerve agents, who has locked people in prisons and tortured and beaten them to death, that he is finally gone and that whatever may come and whatever the anxiety, this is a new chapter for syria, wolf it certainly is. >> and what really surprised me and i assume surprised a lot of people, is that this happened not only very, very quickly within a few days, the bashar al bashar al-assad regime is gone. but what surprised me is that his his army, his military, his police force, which is so well armed with highly sophisticated weapons basically didn't use those weapons against these rebel forces there was no major bloodshed no big war going on it was a pretty dramatic development that the rebels could do all of this without being attacked brutally. as you correctly point out, the bashar

and it's sad that so many of the conversations have been about well, are this is this al qaeda taking over? by the way, what's ironic is hds is one of the biggest enemies and actually the reason al qaeda has no more foothold in syria because they got rid of its affiliate there and nusra, the old one that got the fto affiliation, was dissolved and now, hopefully, even hds can be dissolved. there is a coalition of syrian forces on their own with no outside support, not even turkey liberated their countries. of people that happen to be our enemies here in the united states and they deserve a chance to to go towards the democracy that they all fought for. and protested peacefully for back in starting in 2011, and to reduce their success to one faction or just one person, is a really misunderstanding of what's happening. they're also happy to talk about the chemical weapons and these recent isis strikes i just came back from with u.s. forces in iraq and syria on bases, and the reason there were so many strikes against isis is because the russians left, because they were defeated by the syr

you're right jolani was allied with al qaeda and isis.s he was preparing, you could see now, in retrospect preparing to take the reins. he kept saying, well, we've broken with with al qaeda. we're a different group. we've changed the name of our group. um they denounce isis as well. the united states, even president elect trump said, we don't want to. we don't have a dog in this fight. we're not getting involved in their civil war. but we will, you know, and certainly the current administration in the u.s. saying if isis tries to take advantage, they will do what they've done in the past, which is presumably use airstrikes or the rest against isis, we'll wait to see. one thing very interestingly, the turkish foreign minister put the u.s. on notice that their kurdish and other anti-assad groups, who they have relied on for the last, uh, 13 or so years will not be tolerated any any kurdish group that has any links to the pkk, which is the kurdish group that the turks call terrorists, will not be tolerated. and the turkish government, of cou

it was key in getting al qaeda completely out of syria.t mean they are liberal democrats but they are part of a bigger coalition and they are promising that they are giving the country back to its people and that is a good thing is that. >> would you like to see us -- see the u.s. redesignate that group? >> i would like all sanctions on syria to be lifted and any irrelevant outted designations like this one should also be lifted, absolutely. >> what is going to happen now? there is a coalition of rebel groups in terms of the power struggle that is going to take place there in terms of who will be the leadership. >> the power struggle only happens if regional countries start intervening. we experienced this before. each one of those were giving weapons and money to random factions in syria and that caused the division but because the syrian people liberated themselves by themselves without outside support, there is complete unity and wanting freedom versus tyranny so you know, i do not fear that. i think even when and if whoever intervenes

but why did they joined al qaeda? that's the question. what did you think and feel on 911 at the time? anyone who lived in his i'm a cool arab would at the time to tells you he wasn't happy about. it would be like the, you're recognized your designated as a terrorist by the united states, by the united nations, by many govern. what do you say to them? that's is unfair characterization. it's a political label that carried no truthful credibility. we haven't posed any threat to western or european society the there are multiple insurgents groups affiliated with most or front, and a courier similar aflac to isis. and some of them are wearing isis batch. we also saw the isis and other stuff flags in northern the attack you, i'm not sure if the s and a has the capacity to free the isis tourists from the presence of the kurdish me to show us. however, if that scenario comes to light, that would be nightmare for not only syrians, but also the region of countries. and also your people have to understand that these prisoners were very hard core is

but why did they joined al qaeda? that's the question. what did you think and feel on 911 at the time. anyone who lived in his i'm a co arab would at the time. who tells you he wasn't happy about? it would be like the, you're recognized your designated terrorist by the united states by the united nations, by many govern what he said. and that's is unfair characterization. it's a political label that carried no truthful credibility. we haven't posed any threat to western or european society the now fonder all day seriana analysis platform keep walk up, must be on says the if terrorists are releasing, the accomplice is from prison as has been reported. and the situation in the country could rapidly deter, rotate, there are multiple insurgent groups affiliated with, and those are front and a courier similar aflac to isis. and some of them are wearing. i suspects we also saw the isis and a list of flags in northern the attack you, i'm not sure if the s and a has the capacity to free the isis tourists from the presence of the kurdish me to sho

he was in al qaeda and iraq. he worked for czar wa qawi. he was a detainee in bukka prison. we're talking hts and him as a person. >> him as a person but what's hilarious about this, right now as millions of syrians come back from europe, ready to come back home, people have not been displaced and zero reports of violations and i was on the phone with the bishop of aleppo. the reason i was on the phone, president trump and people in president trump's camp were concerned about the christians in had syria. of course there's so much focus any time there's something, te terr terrorist, terrorist. the bishop of aleppo said, first, sir, it's the coalition of groups. we've had electricity now more than in our regime. they're in fear of airstrikes. he told russia to get out of syria, and it has done so. whether that continues to be the case and what transpires. mouaz, i have to go. >> h.o.r., the affiliate. h.t.s. has defeated it and isis. the old designation is kind of irrelevant. >> we will be watching this developing story and we'll be right back. same. discover the power of wego

they have their roots in al-qaeda.elves as being a nationalist force, trying to topple the regime of president assad. and again, i think the big question here is about how the president is going to respond and whether he's able to launch any kind of counteroffensive to try to stop these rebels and try to reclaim territory. we know that in the most violent chapters in the war in syria, the president relied heavily on russia and iran, especially in russia's air power, to crush the opposition, to crush rebels. and that's how he managed to change, you know, the course of the insurgency in syria. but now both russia and iran are preoccupied with their own affairs. russia is busy in ukraine. iran is still reeling from a huge israeli campaign targeting its targets, its proxies across the middle east, especially hezbollah in lebanon. so we don't know whether the president has the ability to launch any kind of operation to stop this advance from these rebels. so this advance is really...this offensive has reignited the civil wa

he was previously affiliated to al qaeda. his organization was called nusra front and he personally fought in iraq against the americans when he fought with al qaeda. that's what we are dealing with. but he has gone out of his way to assure the world that he has changed his colors. as kind of a proof of that, he told the prime minister who is in place now. the prime minister who had been appointed by assad in september to remain in place. the prime minister and the government to run the affairs of the country until there is an orderly transition. in the meantime, the political opposition which is all exiled, is meeting in places like ankara, istanbul and primarily in qatar to figure out what they do. you have to remember that the political opposition outside have no power on the ground. they have to work with these fighters. then you have other factions. for instance, a group in the south that raced to damascus. it even got there ahead of the hds commander. thank you have other factions. these factions have fought each other

but why did they joined al qaeda? that's the question. what did you think and feel on 911. at the time. anyone who lived in his lumnick or eric wood at the time tells you he wasn't happy about. it would be like the, you're recognized your designated as a terrorist by the united states, by the united nations, by many govern. what do you say to them? that's is unfair characterization. it's a political label that carried no truthful credibility. we haven't posed any threat to western or european society the but you have it. now the father, all the seriana analysis platform, how does it care about the must see and says, if terrorists are able to release the complex is from the presence of a situation in the country will further detail create. and there are multiple insurgents groups affiliated with, and those are front and a curvy similar aflac to isis. and some of them are wearing isis batch. we also saw the isis and almost reflects in northern the attack you, i'm not sure if the s and a has the capacity to free the isis tourists from the presence of the kurdish me to show us.

this is a leader who used to be the head of an al qaeda faction. dictatorship of bashar al assad. and there are concerns that this country could descend back into a civil war, while at the same time, people are happy to be out of the last civil war. so there is an uneasy uncertainty. >> richard engel, thank you very much. >>> joining us now, correspondent and executive producer of pbs front lines film, the jihadist, martin smith. really good to have you. you interviewed al jolani, the head of one of the rebel groups that came in and took a lot of credit for ousting bashar al assad. and is somebody that could be one of the next leaders or if not one of the main leaders of syria. can you tell me who he is and what his motivations are? >> he's got a very interesting history. he was put on the terrorist list in 2013, prior to that, he was a young man who after the u.s. invasion of iraq, decided to go up and fight the americans. and after not so long, he was put into an american prison camp that worked as something like a jihadi university. when he got

it is a group which several years ago was affiliated with al qaeda. it was affiliated with isis in the past as well but through the the leader of this group abu mohammad al-julani, he has been trying to distance himself from those affiliations saying that that this is a different kind of group that is obviously the concern, though, that it does have this these roots in syria we know, for example, that julani himself has a $10 million bounty on his head from the united states. we know that the group is considered a terrorist organization so it is certainly complex in the extreme. but what we also know is that this is one of the many groups that has said now that they have freed damascus, that it is free for all syrian people and millions within the country and around the world are celebrating the end of the assad era now, we know that there are another number of groups some are backed by the united states, some are backed by turkey, some are considered a terrorist organization by turkey as well. so they are all interlaced. they had a common goal, a com