About Ahmed al-Sharaa
Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa (born 29 October 1982), formerly known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani, is a Syrian politician and former rebel commander who has served as the president of Syria since 2025. As the emir of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and de facto leader of the Syrian Salvation Government (SSG) during the Syrian civil war, he led the Syrian opposition offensives that resulted in the fall of the Assad regime in 2024. Born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to a Syrian Sunni Muslim family from the Golan Heights, he grew up in Syria's capital, Damascus. Al-Sharaa joined al-Qaeda in Iraq shortly before the 2003 invasion of Iraq and fought for three years in the Iraqi insurgency. From 2006 to 2011, he was captured and imprisoned by American and Iraqi forces. His release coincided with the Syrian revolution against the Ba'athist regime of Bashar al-Assad. In 2012, with the support of al-Qaeda's central command, al-Sharaa founded Jabhat al-Nusra, also known as al-Nusra Front, to topple the Assad regime. As the emir of al-Nusra Front, al-Sharaa built a stronghold in Idlib Governorate during the Syrian civil war. Al-Nusra committed a number of war crimes against civilians. Al-Sharaa resisted Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's attempts to merge al-Nusra Front with the Islamic State, leading to total war between the two groups. In 2016, al-Sharaa cut Jabhat al-Nusra's ties with al-Qaeda, launched a crackdown on its loyalists, and rebranded his organisation as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham. After breaking with al-Qaeda, he sought international legitimacy by presenting a more moderate view of himself, renouncing transnational jihadism and focusing on governance within Syria. In 2017, al-Sharaa merged Jabhat Fatah al-Sham with other rebel groups to create Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, which he led until 2025. HTS established the Syrian Salvation Government, a technocratic civilian administration, in the territory it controlled in Idlib Governorate. The SSG collected taxes and provided public services, though it faced protests and criticism within Idlib for authoritarian tactics and suppressing dissent. In November 2024, al-Sharaa launched a successful 11-day offensive against the Assad regime; Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia as his regime collapsed. Al-Sharaa became Syria's de facto leader, heading the caretaker government from 8 December 2024 until 29 January 2025, when he was appointed president of Syria at the Syrian Revolution Victory Conference. As president of Syria's transitional government, he focused on consolidating power, rebuilding state institutions, integrating Syria's many revolutionary factions, and restoring Syria's foreign relations, including with the United States, Russia, and regional powers. Domestically, al-Sharaa pursued economic recovery, security stabilization, the return of Syrian refugees, and minority reconciliation. Extensive negotiations with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to integrate their military and civil institutions into the state remained inconclusive throughout 2025. In 2026, after clashes in Aleppo between the transitional government and SDF forces, he signed a decree stating that Syrian Kurds are an essential part of the Syrian people and recognized the Kurdish language. His government launched an offensive against the SDF, and then signed a peace and integration agreement. Al-Sharaa's first year as president saw massacres targeting Syrian Alawites and clashes in southern Syria, both involving government-affiliated troops, which led to criticism. After Israel broke the 1974 agreement, it intensified its limited invasion of southwestern Syria from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Al-Sharaa has opposed renewed conflict with Israel. He has condemned Iranian influence and announced plans to hold elections. Al-Sharaa signed a constitutional declaration establishing a five-year transition period with Islamic jurisprudence enshrined as the main source of legislation. Al-Sharaa created Al-Nusra Front in 2012 with the support of al-Qaeda to topple the Assad regime in the Syrian civil war. According to The New York Times, the family discussed politics at home but had no record of involvement in Islamic extremism.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.