Syria Leaders and Why It Matters

I looked for Ali for four years. Nobody answered my phone calls. Was he dead or alive? I had no idea. Finally, I found him in Turkey. I chose my house in Turkey because it has a view on Syria. From my window,I can see my homeland, Syria.

Ali had taken partin the Syrian revolution right from the start. He was one of those peaceful demonstratorsdemanding democracy. I really suffer when I see my homeland so close. And yet, I'm unable to go there. Why did you leave Syria?Who made you leave Syria? -Al-Qaeda.-Al-Qaeda. Their Jabhat al-Nusra branch. Did they threaten you?

They came to my home. They beat my wife, my mother,and my sister-in-law. They threw them out and beat my daughters. We had to leave the house. They didn't let us take a thing. Not even the few belongings we hadfrom the time of Assad. They took everything. They stole the revolution from us.

In November 2011, I hadn't yet met Ali. I was in Turkey,riding in the car of Khalil Darwish, a Syrian revolutionistwho is going to help me cross the border. Yes, two Frenchmen. A young Turk, my brother and I. Back then, Bashar al-Assad's countrywas forbidden to journalists. We would have to cross over the mountainsthrough Syrian Army lines. We would need to be patient. Three days stuck in a tiny apartmentwith Khalil and his brother Raouf, the TV showing amateur footage from Syria.

They're throwing people in jailand they're killing with impunity. Three-quarters of young Syriansare in jail right now. The NGO say 4,000 dead,when there are over 20,000, if not 30,000. As they can't ID the bodies,they say whatever figure! People are dying in complete indifference. Why do journalists do that? They should check the factsin the villages with the families! Some families have lostall their children.

Raouf Darwish, Khalil's brother,was a Syrian exile who had high expectationsfor the revolution. In 2011, I still believed, but faced with international cowardice, the cowardice of the superpowers, namely, the West,headed by Obama and his administration, what were the people supposed to do? Cowardice was responsible for the situationwe're now living through, and it's far from over. I'll try to find each man in that groupof revolutionists I met in 2011. Six years have gone by since that day when I finally got the green lightto cross the border.

Okay, we're here in Antakaya, in Turkey. You'll cross the frontiersomewhere near here. Syria, those mountains. To cross over to Jisr al-Shughur. -God bless.-God bless you, too. Then you'll walk through the mountains. I hope everything goes smoothlyand there are no hitches. It's about a six-kilometers walk. You must be very careful, as any miscalculation could prove fatal. Beyond the barbed wire, Syria. Where are we? Syria, my beloved Syria.

Let's proceed. -We'll sleep here.-Okay. We have to stay and sleepin the house without lights on. There were a bunch of friendsfrom the same region near the city of Idlib. They had joined the revolution. Among them was Abu Saleh,an English teacher. He would be my interpreterfor the next 10 days. Ali was the only onewho insisted on having his face filmed. I'm wanted because I wentinto the villages and shouted: "The people of Syria want freedom!"

Our mission is to protect army deserters by finding them safe houses so that the army can't find and kill them. Okay, guys, one, two, three! In the name of Allah, the Almighty! Deserters from the regular armywould often pass through our hideout. Don't move before being replaced. Ali would use a scanner to tune into the nearby army's frequencies. He had neutralized our phones. They can ID your phone using its code. If you leave the chip in,they can localize you. Then, they can target and bomb you. For Ali, the revolution was a party.

He wanted to overthrowthe Assad family dictatorship. It's one of the longest rulingson the planet. Here's the dog, Hafez al-Assad! We've blocked the light so the security forces can't see us. If the light gives us away,they'll attack the house with their tanks. That's why we cover up the windows. Our hideout was an isolated country housenear Idlib.

The people want Bashar dead! With the help of Allah! In 2011,the regime's tanks controlled the roads. Ali was constantly setting up waysto avoid them. Remember, if we're talking on the phone and you hear me say "There is no god but Allahand Muhammad is his Prophet," and I ask you to come and join me, it means I've been arrested and the army is setting you up. O Bashar, you poor coward,you will pay for the blood of Homs. That day, we arrived in a village where a man killedby regime soldiers was being buried.

Assad's militiamen killedthis martyr this morning during a huge protestagainst the tyranny of the regime. A peaceful demonstration. Our soul and our bloodwill be for you, Martyr! A rumor rushed through the crowd,regime soldiers were nearby. Panic spread like wildfire. Calm them down! Don't go up! Stay here!

Come back!Don't be scared, it's not the army! Keep filming! Seeing this population terrorizedby its own army was a strange scene. In this peaceful demonstration, a few weapons startedto discreetly appear. At that time, the rebels didn't wantto take any footage of these weapons. We had to bring down the regime. We knew things could degenerate. We were perfectly aware of that, but I never imagined I'd be herein Turkey as a mere spectator.

People are so desperate they're startingto regret Bashar. Even free Syrian Army memberssometimes regret him. Off you go! If I had known what was going to happen, I'd have made arrangments,and I wouldn't be here. We didn't take up arms at the outset. Our protests were peaceful. Early in the revolution,our slogan was "Peaceful, peaceful."

None of us was armed. Almost everywhere in the Arab world,uprisers filmed their revolution. This is a peaceful revolution! Whatever happens,we'll never accept the corrupted! One of the demonstrators, an IT student, had set up a makeshift broadcasting studiohidden in a house in the village.

He cobbled together a systemthat could broadcast in all circumstances. His name was Milad Fadel. We use Skype. We take photos and shoot videos and post them on Facebook. Right now, I'm sending some videosto a few people who will post them on Youtube. Another thing,the electricity is often cut off.

You have generators? Yes, we have a generatorto produce electricity. The electricity is downin the whole village. That happens all the time. In 2013, Milad found a jobat Al Jazeera as a war correspondent. In 2016, he had coveredthe Great Siege of Aleppo. Today's battle will be decisive. If the rebels manageto capture this district… Milad survived. He lives somewhere near Idlibin disputed rebel-held territory with his wife and two children. It's great to see him alive,even only through Skype.

Weren't you tempted to leave Syriaand take refuge in Turkey? No, I grew up in Turkeyand in Syria, I will die. What would happen to meas a Western journalist, if I came to work in Syria today? Are you kidding? Right here, right now, you're nothingbut a suitcase full of money. You're probably worth twoor three million euros. I see. In fact, this interview will get me dead, but I forgive you.

In November 2011, Ali, like Milad,was a video activist. They both believed that imagesof slaughtered civilians would force democracies in the Westto take action in their favor, but it took too long. Ali ended up joining a rising leaderof the revolution. He was a simple construction workerwho had stopped believing in the power of picturesand peaceful demonstrations. Jamal Maarouf.

-This is Jamal Maarouf.-They know him, don't they? Jamal Maarouf is a good leader. He's like my big brother. Shall we go to see Jamal?It's 100 kilometers, if you want to. Let's go! Hang on, let's finish our tea first. Jamal Maarouf lives closeto the Syrian border, but we didn't visit him there. We met him in a safe house.

Even on the Turkish side of the border, attacks by Islamists are frequent and have claimed the livesof dozens of Syrian revolutionists. Here, we're waiting for Jamal Maaroufand his right-hand man, Moussa Hamoudi. We installed surveillance cameras after a bomb was placedunder my car in 2013. Who put the bomb? It was al-Qaeda, for sure.

Exile hasn't taken awaytheir sense of humor. -This interview will give them trouble.-No, they're only filming! Just sell your landand make lots of money! Also, get married again. Sure, it's only logical. How many kids do you have, Jamal? So far, sixteen. Do you want to have more? Allah will decide. -May Allah protect them.-Thank you. At what moment did you think that the demonstrationsshould not remain peaceful, but you should fight back?

Towards the end of May, the regime began using their guns and opened fire on protestors. They're shooting at the demonstrators! The regime began sending its tanksand troops into the cities. Thousands of soldiers pouredinto the cities to set up checkpoints. They arrested the civiliansto stop the protest, so the decision to take up arms was imposed on us by the regime. Here, brother, take it.

We'll put it in the back. -Leave it to me.-Come on, Ali, finish up! In November 2011,after one massacre too many, Ali traded in his camera for a weapon. Come on, let's move! I'm cold, can we shut the window? I'm freezing!

I deserted from the army four months ago. It was the best decision of my life! I swore to protect my people,not the regime. For the first time, Ali would shootat the army of his homeland. God is great! Assad's soldiers are there.

Lots of them! They have tanks. The first weapons you used,where did they come from? We started ambushing the regime's army with our own guns and hunting rifles. Then, we took the regime's weapons and turned them against it. We ended up accumulating enough material.

Back then, did you get any helpfrom any foreign country? In 2001?No, we were on our own. From ambushes to pillaging arms depots, Jamaal Maarouf's group obtained moreand more sophisticated weapons. One particular event turned Jamal Maaroufinto a true legend of the insurrection. In 2012, he shot down a regime fighter jetwith a mere rifle.

Bashar, look what we do to your planes! We'll take control of the airfieldsand shoot down planes until Bashar stops bombing civilians! His newly earned prestige enabled him to set up a genuine armyof 5,000 fighters. I, the leader of the revolution,Jamal Maarouf, head of the Syrian Martyrs Brigade, declare the foundingof the Syrian Martyrs Vanguard. Before God and the Nation, I swear our eyes watch over youand our fists will protect you until Syria is freefrom Assad's criminal milia. We will bring hope and securityto our beloved Syria.

Peace on our martyrs.May victory be upon us! Right now, Syria is the propertyof the al-Assad family. Our goal was to shift from dictatorshipto a country governed by all, respecting the individualand religious freedoms of all citizens, but today, Syria belongsto al-Assad and his regime, no one else. Wasn't the decision to take up weapons a huge trap for the revolution? Sure, did the regime push for that?Definitely. It's because al-Assad wanted the people's revolution against the regime to turn into an armed conflict.

This would help him a lot. Indeed, but there was no other choice, because the only thingthat this regime understands is the language of force. I promise that we will not stop until we reach the Palaceto break his throne on his head! God is great! We're with the membersof the Free Syrian Army! They all deserted from the regime's armyto protect demonstrators who are regularly killed during peaceful protests.

During this protest,broadcast live online by Milad Fadel, this friendly-looking bearded manin a uniform appeared. I would constantly see him around us, watching over usas if we were his kid brothers. Pictures of peoplefrom the revolution of four years ago, if you remember them. He's here, Abu Saleh. From this bad regime.

Milad Faled, he works for Al-Jazeera now. He abandoned the revolution. He left his rifleand went home to earn a living. He's still in Syria. What's his name? I can't remember his name, but he also gave up the revolution. Ghazi. Is this Ghazi? Come see, it's him. He's trimmed his beard a bit. Take a photo of the screen. Send it to Abu Salehand tell him it's Ghazi.

It's Ghazi, dude! Ghazi el-Hadj. Go on, send it to Abu Saleh. He's with ISIS now. He's in Raqqa or Mosul. I remember the first time I met Ghazi. We were in a hideout, and Abou Saleh, the English teacher,received a phone call. It was Ghazi. Where are you?Hello? Film everything. -Do you want to go there?-Yes. -You want?-Yes. -Let's go!-Is it a big protest? Are there a lot of people?

We're with journalists, can they film? Okay, great, let's go. Moussa was on the phonewith Jamal Maarouf. There's quite a crowd,things could get rough. They're afraid. No worries, I'll take them in my car. The people who joined the revolution knewwhy we were there. We all wanted freedom. We were all awareof the sacrifices ahead of us. Half of the disasters I fearedhad already happened.

I knew we were going to have problems, but I never thought it would get this bad. The man assigned to protect usduring the protest was Ghazi. He was perched on a car, rifle in hand. Suddenly, Ghazi got scared. The army's coming!

Let's go, the Syrian army is coming! Before I left, Ghazi hugged me. Let's go. I remember he was the onewho tried to protect us. When the army came, he said, ''Be careful, the army is coming,go away.'' -Remember?-That's right. I remember it very well. He was the one who tried. Now, if he would see us,he would not protect us anymore. I don't think so. On the contrary, he may kill us. We'll probably be wearingan orange pyjama.

Milad, the reporter in the group,had known Ghazi for a long time. Ghazi is a very uptight, impulsive man. He used to insult Allah all the time,that's the death penalty within ISIS. I even scolded him about it. If he has joined ISIS, it's not for ideological reasons but for psychological reasons. Don't forget that our society is made up of small rural communities, and Ghazi comes from a very poor family. Do you ever speak to Ghazi on the phone?

No, if he knew where I was,he'd liquidate me. He'd kill me. Isn't it horrible to see that a man who was a friendand who protected us could kill you today? That's life, I can't know who'll kill me. Even brothers kill each other for power. Ghazi loves power and money. I'm guessing they exploited this weakness. The guy would blaspheme all the time. I've known him since I was five. No one knows him better than I do. No way is he an extremist. That's just an actto earn money and power.

I think there were a lot of peoplelike him all over Syria because they gave him about $500 a month, while the Free Syrian Army had nothing. In 2012,foreign jihadist fighters began to appear. They came to join the Syrian Islamists that Bashar al-Assad had freedfrom prison. They were Iraqis, Tunisians,and even Chechens, veterans from the war against Russia. Inshallah! They claimed to represent Al-Qaeda,but within a year, an even more radical group had sprung up,amongst them, the Islamic State.

Among these newly arrived foreignerswas a celebrity of the jihadist world. His war name was Abu Abdelaziz al-Qatari. ISIS presented him as one of its early fund providersin Iraq in 2004, with money from businessmen in the Gulf. Al-Qatari was obviously well known to the highly effectiveSyrian secret service, and yet he entered the country quite easilythrough Damascus International Airport. Let us get in the zone.

Back then, the regime-owned mediaaccused Qatar of backing the revolution, and al-Qatar came three times herefrom Qatar, via Damascus Airportand no one arrested him? The regime had checkpoints everywhere. It was a real ordeal for Syrians. How can an al-Qaeda founder getfrom Damascus to Idib on regime roads? He was the ideologist behind ISIS.

Abu Abdelaziz al-Qatari had a plan to shift the Syrian revolutionunder the Islamist banner, and he had the means to do it. He offeredto finance Jamal Maarouf's group if Maarouf agreed to join them. When we first met Abdel Aziz al-Qatari, he introduced himselfas a businessman working in real estate. He said he ran a large networkin the Gulf states among the jihadists, and in Europe too. He said he was waitingfor money from Iraq.

Between Jamal Maarouf's groupin al-Qatari, there was little trust. Al-Qaeda was behaving dangerously. In 2012, they distanced themselvesfrom the armed groups, and went into isolated villages to influencethe ignorant populations there. They recruited illiterate peoplebecause they were easy to manipulate. Al-Qatari founded his own group, the soldiers of al-Aqsa,and he recruited from the villages.

When I fought the Russians during the jihad in Afghanistan, I asked the Russian prisoners of war: "You who are here fighting the Afghans," "what do you feel" "when you hear Muslimscry out Allah Akbar?" They said, "We piss ourselves." We were just focused on our combat. We didn't have the timeto investigate these people. There were never any official meetings. We thought they wantedto fight the regime. They were in the fieldsbut there were no outbreaks of violence, We had no real ideawhere they were coming from. We were too busy fighting the regime.

Long live the Free Syrian Army! Once al-Qaeda had entered Syria,its men circulated everywhere freely. The troopsof the al-Nusra Front are advancing to collect the heads of disbelievers! Soon, the Islamists took over poweramong the rebellion, and Jamal Maarouf was forcedto answer to them. When al-Qaeda beganto gain popular support, it turned against the Free Syrian Army,accusing us of being apostates.

I heard that you all drink alcoholand fornicate. Okay, listen to me… Do you know what's said? Before you punish he who sinned, what is it that Allah say in the Quran? "When two factions are opposed,reconcile them." We're not even there. Give me a single piece of evidence that my men fornicateor act unjustly towards al-Nusra. If my men have sinned,I will judge them myself. These emissaries from al-Nusra,the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda, also accused Jamal Maaroufof making money during the war. Do you have one piece of evidencethat I stole from the wheat stocks? Who controlled the Eastwhere the wheat was stolen?

-Al-Nusra.-Right, and the oil wells. Everybody knowsthat we only took enough wheat to feed the martyrs of Syria. Al-Nusra controls the oil,what have you done with it? How can you accuse me of pillaging when the wheat of an entire countryhas vanished in contraband? Where is it now?Are you the tutors of this people? In 2014, Jamal Maarouf felt the Syrian revolutionslipping from his grasp. He set out to confront ISIS first,then Al-Qaeda. That day, on the other endof the walkie-talkie, was the Al-Qaeda leader in Syria,Al-Julani.

Al-Julani, it's Jamal Maarouf,head of SRF. Show us your true face! Show us, you fanatic! We're defending Syria! You bastard,you're like Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi of ISIS! Like ISIS, you're hereto usurp the power of our revolution! By Allah, you're only here to destroy,and take power over Syrians. On the first day of Maarouf's offensiveagainst ISIS in January 2014, the jihadist Moneyman, Abu Abdelaziz al-Qatarimysteriously vanished.

His body was later exhumed by ISISfrom a mass grave in a territory controlledby Jamal Maarouf. ISIS accused Maarouf of killing Al-Qatari. Who was this guy? All I know is that his namewas Abdel Aziz al-Qatari. That's all. Violent fighting against the Islamistshas lasted from January to July 2014.

Al-Qaeda has lots of moneyand very big means. They financed their membersand supplied them with a lot of weapons. Confiscated in battleor supplied by the regime. Their influence became very strong. However, the Free Syrian Armyreceived no support. In fact, the regime did all it couldto wipe us out. As the situation became desperate, Jamal Maarouf's group sought supportfrom Western democracies. You got some help from America,when was that? We started getting help in about 2014. You got six months of help, that's it. About six or seven months, that's all.

What happened after the six months? All the branches of al-Qaeda and al-Nusra ganged up against us. Help came too late. In July 2014,Jamal Maarouf's men lost ground. The Islamists organizeda huge parade in Idlib, showing off the vehiclesand weapons seized from Maarouf's group. Ali, along with most of Maarouf's men,fled to Turkey. Their region and their revolutionwere now under Islamist control. Ali left with his whole family,his parents, children, and uncles. As prisoners in their exile,they run a small grocery store.

Your daughter is here. -No, it's okay.-What do you miss the most about Syria? The earth, the stones, the people, the dead… I miss everything. It burns you up inside but you're powerless to act. Nothing can replace Syria. Come here. He's my uncle.

Do you miss Syria also? How can you not miss your homeland? Do you miss your parents? They killed my kid brother. My elder brother, too. Peace be on their souls! Now I'm forced to stay in Turkey. Who killed your brother? Some villagers close to the regime,Assad's militiamen.

The militia killed them both. Later, I was watching TV in Turkey, I can't remember which channel, and I saw a man in a prisoner's uniformkneeling on the ground, with a group of men dressedin black behind him. The journalist called them ISIS,but I knew nothing about ISIS then. The prisoner kept saying, "Have mercy,don't hurt me, I've done nothing!" They tied him up like a sheep, another man held his head and a sword. He beheaded himand the head flew right off! It made my hair stand on end.

I was speechless for two days,what kind of Islam is that? A man decapitating anotherwhile shouting, "God is great!" They call themselves Islamic State,but what on earth is that? I now hate all of Syria,I even hate myself. What kind of religion is that? Not even the Jews would do that! Ali's family is among thousands of Syrian familieswho took refuge in Turkey just across the border.

As did Raouf Darwish's family. We planned to bring the family to Turkey, but what's left of the family? The boys are all taking partin the revolution. Only my mother is left, and she's too old. She's very, very elderly. It was a plan, but so be it… The family left for Turkey after the death of Khalil. In 2013, Khalil, the man who had smuggled usacross the border in 2011, was killed. There was an ambush and he was shot dead.

He was on a motorbike when he got shot. He tried to swerve out of the way,but it was too late. He was armed but helpless. His Kalashnikov was on his back and he was outnumbered. Afterwards, they announced:"We have killed an important terrorist." I'm just afraidof what could happen to others. If I were arrested,I might confess things under torture. That's the only thing I'm scared of. I'm not afraid of dying.

Death has become something normal. The survivors of the Darwish familysettled in Antakya, Turkey. Daoud, one of Raouf's brothers,has given up the fight. I lost my cousin, my two brothers, another cousin… I can't trust anyone anymore. Now, they're simply exterminatinggood people. Anyone with good moralsand humanity ends up dead. Patriots, honourable people, they all die. That's how it is now.

Europe let us down. Syria is completely devastated,totally bled dry. They killed children and old folks,raped and killed women. Whether there's peace or not,in two months, I must return to Syria, I have to. In 2016, after four years of warin illegal border crossings, the Turks built an unreachable wallalong the entire border with Syria.

They're enclosing the Syrian people and the fighters of the Free Syrian Army. Since this wall was built, they have lost all freedom of movement. That's how it is. The Turkish army is now deployedon the Syrian side of the border. The Turks have armored vehiclesand men on Syrian soil. To return and resume the fighting, Ali must now play by the rules establishedby the Turkish authorities. To return to Syria, I had to talkto the authorities in Ankara.

They have a "Syrian Department"which kitted me out and let me go back. I left to fight ISIS. Ali discovered a Syria ravagedby five years of war. The Syrian Army was in declinewhile jihadist groups were multiplying, both Al-Qaeda and ISIS. The jihadis had more men, more weapons, and they had taken holdof his hometown, Idlib.

The Turks provided Ali with a few weapons. He met up with a small unitof the Free Syrian Army. Three months later, in June 2016,he drove over a landmine. Wounded, he returned to Turkey. The revolutionists have lostthe fighting spirit they had in 2012. This is an ISIS cellwhich we have arrested.

They were kids, dude! Young ISIS members,I arrested over 20 of them. I swear when you arrest them,you don't know what to do. You want to hit them,but they're just kids! One of them had killed one of my men, but I didn't have the courage to hit him. Abu Saleh, I swear,no way could I do that to a kid! Ali was surprisedby the suicidal determination of the young ISIS members. Crazily, they believe they'll goto heaven if they blow themselves up.

Even if they're far away from you, they'll blow themselves up anyway. Even though it's pointless. They know that very well. We arrested and asked him: "What's the point in blowing yourself up200 meters away from us?" He said, "I want to go to Paradise.All lives must come to an end." If 50 guys blow themselves up and two survivors take the village,they don't care. I wanted to ask Ghazi, who had gone over to ISISif he missed his old friends at all. Through numerous middlemen,the message reached him, and late in the day, we got his reply.

He doesn't talk to pigs. They consider us pigs, me and you. We're all, in his consideration, infidels.