Syrian Journalist Discusses What Led to the Rebel Takeover in Syria

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: We’ve spoken to you several times throughout the course of this civil war. Just tell us as a Syrian, as somebody who forced — was forced to leave the Assad, you know, civil war, what are you feeling now?

RAMI JARRAH, SYRIAN JOURNALIST: I’ve been asked that question a lot over the past two days, but honestly, I do not have a coherent answer that I can give right now. Obviously, I’m at joy, but at the same time, I think given the experiences that, I speak for many Syrians in saying this, for the past 14 years, we’ve always, you know, been hopeful. And then, even when events seem to look like they were headed in the right direction, we would, you know, be slapped with a series of very unfortunate events. And I think that maybe, you know, Syrians generally are traumatized and can’t just accept that this one actually looks like it’s headed in the right direction. Only two — just under two weeks ago, Syrian — Syria to me — and, you know, this won’t be a popular thing to say, but Syria to me was a distant memory. It was a subject, a topic that I wanted to avoid. And that was, you know, the result of many things that went wrong and the basic bleak future that myself and many Syrians I think perceived the future would bring.

AMANPOUR: And, Rami, certainly the United States, others in the region, they had pretty much decided that Assad had won this civil war and there were all sorts of, you know, interventions to try to rehabilitate him in the Middle East region, to try to bring him on side, you know, by the U.S., for instance, potentially separating him from his main backer, Iran. What were you hearing? Why has it been such a surprise? How did this rebel coalition, you know, not too far from, you know, inside the border from Turkey, do this? And particularly since the leader, al-Jolani, says they’ve been planning for a year?

JARRAH: Yes. I mean, it was — I don’t want to say that I knew that this planning was going on. But once this offensive started and given that, you know, the links that, in general that, someone has with those involved, it became very clear to me and I think many people that are able to reach out and get information that this this effort had been prepared for quite a while. I think anyone claiming at this stage that the goal was to take all of Syria and bring down the Assad regime is just taking advantage of being able to say that in hindsight. I think the reality is that the ambition was to take back some territory, the name of the offensive indicates that. It was to basically repel an offensive by the government. That’s the name of the movement. So, I don’t think anyone actually expected that this was going to happen. And I definitely speak for myself in saying that I never dreamed that this would happen. But what has been — I mean, if I could just give a quick backstory. Jolani was obviously — had his links to the Islamic State and obviously with Al Qaeda, but he has very pragmatically, over the years, created these links and then defected from them. When he pledged allegiance to Al Qaeda, it was basically to protect himself from the Islamic State because he had basically crossed Baghdadi, after Baghdadi had sent him to Aleppo. And then — sorry to Northern Syria to establish the Islamic State there. And then, he broke ties with Al Qaeda. And first it was just done publicly, and then it became an official break of ties. And what happened after that was that, mainly in these past four or five years, Jolani has actually worked with civil society to build an administration of 11 ministries and work with civil society. And what I’m saying now might like sound like I’m actually defending him, I’m not. I actually am very skeptical. I don’t trust Jolani. I think that what he’s doing right now is very promising. We just heard out of Damascus today, I think Damascus, Tartus, and Latakia, that a number of laws and guidelines have been set for the fighters, that they’re not allowed to interfere in civilian life. They’re not allowed to tell women what they’re allowed to wear or not wear. These things are all very promising. Jolani pledging that he’s even considering of dissolving HTS is a very promising thing to say. But I think what we need moving forward is action. And I don’t think that I don’t think it’s up to me to decide or suggest that Jolani should be forgiven for what he’s done in the past, but I think the first step that he can take in actually proving that he — proving the things that he said, that he does — he respects the aspirations of Syrians who want to see a future democratic state that represents the rights of all Syrians, regardless of sect or ethnicity, I think the first step in doing that is handing over power to a transitional government and stepping aside.