For German Readers


Substantial readership coming in from Germany in the last twenty-four hours.  So for that crowd:

https://www.br.de/nachrichten/deutschland-welt/deutsche-dschihadisten-teil-syrischer-streitkraefte,VJZWBG3

And for the rest of us, the translation.  Syria remains a cluster f-ck.  And al-Julani is still a monster.

Investigative Report by

@BR24

: German Jihadists Part of Syrian Forces Al-Shara was for years part of jihadist militias and has close ties to structures affiliated with Al-Qaeda. Although he later publicly distanced himself from Al-Qaeda and now presents a clearly more moderate image, parts of his power apparatus still come from exactly those circles. As a result, jihadists are present within the ranks of Syria’s transitional government forces. According to information from Deutschlandfunk, rbb, and BR, some of these jihadists previously lived in Germany. These individuals are embedded within the transitional government forces. German security circles describe them as “still representing a global jihadist ideology”meaning the idea of imposing Islamic rule internationally through violence. The trail leads to Bavaria as well Research by security expert Christoph Leonhardt of the Berlin-based analysis and consultancy firm “Middle East Minds” indicates that jihadists from Berlin, Brandenburg, and Bavaria are present within Syrian forces. Some of the German jihadists also participated in the capture of Damascus in late 2024. These Germans are part of a group of jihadists who previously joined Al-Qaeda-affiliated groups and fought alongside Al-Shara. Security circles speak of a significant number, in the dozens. Some come from abroad, such as Europe, the Caucasus, or Central Asia, and have fought for Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) or affiliated groups. Hans-Jakob Schindler of the transatlantic research center “Counter Extremism Project” states that many of these individuals originally traveled to Syria deliberately to join Islamist groups, fight against the ruler ousted in 2024 (Assad), and build an Islamic state. Why these fighters also pose a danger to Europe Schindler warns that these fighters from Al-Shara’s milieu have years of combat experience and connections within international extremist networks. They may one day return to Germany, among other countries. He notes there are currently no indications that they have been systematically de-radicalized or ideologically separated from jihadist structures. Attacks on minorities Schindler points to clear contradictions between Al-Shara’s moderate public image and the reality on the ground. In recent months, there have been repeated attacks on religious minorities such as Alawites, Druze, and Christians. According to research by BR, Deutschlandfunk, and rbb, German jihadists from Al-Shara’s milieu were active on Telegram for years, where they glorified, among other things, Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who was killed in 2011.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Full article at the link:

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