Syria is “not a threat to the world” its new Islamist leader tells BBC

The leader of the most powerful group in control of Syria has told the BBC that the country is exhausted by war and is no threat to its neighbours or the West. In an interview in Damascus, Ahmed al-Sharaa told the BBC's international editor Jeremy Bowen that sanctions on Syria should be lifted.

Sharaa led the lightning offensive that toppled Bashar al-Assad's regime less than two weeks ago. He is the leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the most powerful group in the rebel alliance. He was previously known by his wartime name, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani.

Sharaa said HTS should be de-listed as a terrorist organisation. It is designated as one by the UN, US, and EU, among many others, as it started as a splinter group of al-Qaeda, which it broke away from in 2016.

Sharaa said HTS was not a terrorist group. He said they did not target civilians and considered themselves to be victim of the crimes of the Assad regime. The victims, he said, should not be treated the same way as the oppressors. He denied that he wanted to establish a regime like the Taliban in Afghanistan. Sharaa said the countries had very different traditions. Afghanistan was a tribal society. In Syria, he said, there was a different mindset.

He said he believed in education for women and referred to the high number of women attending university in parts of Syria.

Sharaa was relaxed throughout the interview, wearing civilian clothes, and tried to offer reassurance to all those who believe his group has not broken with its extremist past. However many Syrians do not believe him and fear that a hardline Islamist government will emerge.

Clive Myrie presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Jeremy Bowen in the Syrian capital Damascus.

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