On December 11, the Facebook account “Information-Analytical Union” posted a photo collage that, as claimed by the account, shows how the newly appointed Prime Minister of the Syrian Interim Government, Mohammed Al-Bashir, looked in the past and how he looks now. The uploaded photo is divided into two parts – one shows an armed terrorist, while the other shows Al-Bashir in formal attire. The photo description reads: “A notable exhibit of American democracy.”
The Facebook account is spreading a visual manipulation because the person depicted in the upper part of the photo is not Mohammed Al-Bashir. In reality, it is French jihadist Rachid Kassim, who was a member of the terrorist organization ISIS.
By using a reverse image search, it has been established that the person holding a knife is French jihadist Rachid Kassim, who was a member of ISIS. He was likely involved in organizing several terrorist acts in France in 2016. According to information released in February 2017, he was killed during an operation carried out by coalition forces.
After the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian Interim Government, on December 10, appointed Mohammed Al-Bashir as Prime Minister to serve until March 1. Prior to this, Al-Bashir was the leader of the government formed in the opposition-controlled territory in northwestern Syria (Idlib province). It should be noted that Al-Bashir is a member of the group “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham” (HTS), which played a significant role in the defeat of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. According to available information, he was born in 1983 in Idlib province and holds bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering and Sharia and Law. He also has additional qualifications in English, administrative planning, and project management. It is unknown when he began his relations with HTS, as at the onset of the civil conflict, he worked in a company under government control. Al-Bashir first appeared on the broader stage in 2022, when he was appointed Minister for the Development of the Administrative Department of the mentioned organization. In 2024, he was appointed Prime Minister of the Idlib province, which is under their control. It is important to emphasize that there is no information in open sources that directly links Mohammed Al-Bashir to terrorism.
The leader of the aforementioned organization, “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham,” Abu Mohammad al-Julani, initially founded the group in 2011 under the name “Jabhat al-Nusra,” which was an offshoot of the notorious terrorist organization al-Qaeda, and, therefore, the organization has been recognized as a terrorist group by the UN, the US, and other countries. However, in 2017, al-Julani decided to separate from al-Qaeda and, together with four other organizations, established HTS. This move was considered a betrayal by al-Qaeda, though there are suspicions that the two organizations still maintain informal relations.
Since 2018, HTS has attempted to present itself to the international community as having moved past its terrorist roots, which is reflected in several actions taken by the group. Specifically, HTS expelled Iranian military units as well as ISIS, along with its allies and al-Qaeda members, from areas under its control. Additionally, analysis shows that the absolute majority of HTS’s violent actions occurred during military operations and were localized within Syria, while “Jabhat al-Nusra” had ties to active terrorists in Western countries and did not hesitate to harm civilians. With a shift in tactics, since 2020, HTS has managed to reduce violence in areas under its control and established bureaucratic institutions, creating a relatively effective governance system. It should also be noted that after the opposition forces, led by this organization, took control of the country, HTS declared its commitment to inclusivity and rejected all forms of violence and revenge. As a result of these developments, according to recent reports, the UN and the United States are considering removing HTS from the list of terrorist organizations, but this will not happen immediately, and they will first closely monitor HTS’s actions and the situation in the country.
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