Watan party chief says ‘no evidence’ Syrian interim president killed Iraqis

BAGHDAD — Yazan Mishaan Al‑Jubouri, secretary general of the Watan Party, dismissed claims that Syria’s interim President Ahmed al‑Sharaa killed Iraqis, asserting that no evidence supports such allegations despite the controversial figure’s militant past.

“I know [Syria’s interim President Ahmed] Al‑Sharaa. We used to live in the same area. He and his brother owned a supermarket, and his father had a real estate office. He was an ordinary young man, not introverted,” Al‑Jubouri said during an interview on Dijlah TV.

He continued, “You can interpret his story and past in different ways—either considering him an ISIS member or, on the contrary, because he fought ISIS a lot. But he was originally a member of Al‑Qaeda, and there is a difference between ISIS and Al‑Qaeda. There is nothing to confirm that he killed Iraqis, nor is there any arrest warrant against him.”

Ahmed al‑Sharaa, also known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed Al‑Jolani, entered Iraq in 2003 to join the insurgency against U.S. forces following the invasion. He later became affiliated with Al‑Qaeda in Iraq. U.S. forces captured al‑Sharaa in 2006, and he was held in detention at facilities including Abu Ghraib, Camp Bucca, Kober prison in Baghdad, and Taji prison until his release in 2011, which coincided with the onset of the Syrian revolution.

Some excerpts of Al-Jubouri’s interview:

I know [Syria’s interim President Ahmed] Al-Sharaa. We used to live in the same area. He and his brother owned a supermarket, and his father had a real estate office. He was an ordinary young man, not introverted.

You can interpret his story and past in different ways—either considering him a Daesh member or, on the contrary, because he fought Daesh a lot. But he was originally a member of Al-Qaeda, and there is a difference between Daesh and Al-Qaeda. There is nothing to confirm that he killed Iraqis, nor is there any arrest warrant against him. When the Americans arrested him in Iraq, he was under the name Amjad Al-Nuaimi, I believe, as an Iraqi, and they released him as an Iraqi. No Iraqi officer interrogated him. He was not with us; he was with the Americans. Everything said otherwise is incorrect. He was arrested while attempting to plant an explosive device, and they considered him a reckless Iraqi youth. That’s how the Americans viewed him.

His history is jihadist and radical. All Sunni Islamic factions are Salafi jihadists.

Now he is a different person in performance and speech.

[Is he affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood?] No, he is more modernized than the Brotherhood.

During the discussions between Iraq and Jordan at the beginning of the Syrian events and the arrival of Al-Sharaa and the Iraqi leadership, the Jordanian leadership asked for an assessment of the situation. They said, ‘If this government improves and develops, it will become Brotherhood-affiliated,’ which would be a disaster for the Jordanians.

I don’t think his performance so far aligns with the Brotherhood. I believe he operates pragmatically. But does he have authority over decisions and influence? The answer is no.

[So, who holds the power?] There is a group of foreigners—let’s put them all in one category and call them the ‘muhajireen’—they are from Dagestan, Chechnya, Egypt, and the Uyghurs. On the other hand, there are factions like Al-Amshat and Al-Hamzat, who went to the coast and carried out sectarian revenge acts.