Who is Abu Mohammed al-Golaan, the leader of the uprising that overthrew al-Assadin in Syria?

After entering Damascus after his victorious warriors Sunday, he did not use his war name and refer to himself by his true name, Ahmad al-Sahara.

Now it will be seen how far its transformation from the extremist jihadist in a possible statehood role goes.

The question now is how Syria will be governed, composed of many ethnic and religious communities, often driven against one another by the state of al-Assad and the years of war. Many fear the prospect of taking power from Sunni Islamic extremists.

Hours after taking control of Damascus, 42-year-old al-Sahara made his first appearance at the city's historic Umyad mosque, naming al-Assad's fall as “a victory for the Islamic nation”.

Al-Saharaa, who is considered terrorist by the United States and his rebel force, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS many of whose fighters are jihadists are now a leading player.

For years, al-Sahara worked to consolidate power, isolated in the province of Idlib in the northwest part of Syria, while the rule of al-Assad backed by Iran and Russia in most of the country seemed strong.

It eliminated competitors and former allies of extremist organisations and tried to soften the image of its “de-facto rescue coalition” in Idlib to attract international governments and calm Syria's religious and ethnic minorities.

Throughout this process, he gave up the garment of a hard line Islamic militant and began to wear costumes in interviews, speaking of building state institutions and decentralisation of power in such a way as to reflect Syria's diversity.

“Syria deserves a governing system that is institutional and not where a single ruler makes arbitrary decisions,” He said in an interview with CNN last week, leaving open the possibility that his group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) will be disbanded after Assad's fall.

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Al Golan's Beginnings in Iraq

In the ranks of extremist groups, Al-Sahara was known only as the jihadist nickname he adopted, Abu Mohammed al-Golani. His ties to Al-Qaeda originated in 2003, when he joined the rebels who fought with American troops in Iraq.

He was arrested by the American Army, but remained in Iraq. During that time, al-Qaeda with other similar groups formed Iraq's extremist Islamic state, led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

In 2011, a popular uprising in Syria against al-Assad was brutally oppressed by the government, which triggered a widespread war.

Al-Golan's importance grew when al-Baghdadi sent him to Syria to create a branch of al-Qaeda called Fronti Nusra.

The United States named the new group a terrorist organisation. This appointment continues to be in effect, and the US government has set a $10 million reward for it.

Front Nusra and Syrian conflict

In 2013, al-Golan's ambitions increased. He challenged al-Baghdad's calls to dismantle the Nusra Front and merge it with the al-Qaeda operation in Iraq to form the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or I SIS.

However, al-Golani pledged loyalty to al-Qaeda, which later broke away from I SIS.

Front Nusra fought I SIS and eliminated much of the competition among the Syrian armed opposition of al-Assad.

In his first interview in 2014, al-Golani appeared face-to-face, telling an Al-Jazeera journalist that he opposed political talks in Geneva to end the conflict.

He said his aim was for Syria to be governed according to Islamic law and made it clear that there was no room for alavite, Shiite, wood and Christian minorities in the country.

Power Consolidation and Image Change

In 2016, al-Galan discovered his face for the first time in a video message announcing that his group was being renamed Jabhat Fateh al-Sham Ém the Syrian Victory Front and would sever ties with Al-Qaeda.

“This new organisation has no connection to any external entities,” He said in the video, where he shows up in military clothing and a turban.

The movement paved the way for al-Golan to put full control over the divided militant groups. A year later, his alliance was renamed again, such as Hayat Tarhrir al-Sham, which means the Syrian Liberation Organisation, as groups joined, consolidating al-Golan's power in the province of Idlib, northwest Syria.

HTS later clashed with independent Islamic militants who opposed the union, which further strengthened the positions of al-Golan and his group as the main force in northwest Syria, capable of ruling with an iron hand.

With consolidated powers, al-Golani set in motion a transformation that few could imagine. Replacing his military garment with shirts and pants, he began calling for religious tolerance and pluralism. He made efforts to attract the Druse community in Idlib, which Frontt Nusra had previously targeted, and visited the families of Kurds who were killed by Turkish-backed militias.

In 2021 he had his first interview with an American journalist on PBS television, reports VOA.

Dressed in a sport jacket, with short hair, the now transformed HTS leader said his group posed no threat to the West and that sanctions imposed against him were unfair.