Over 11,000 Killed in Northern Syria in bid to Politically Rehabilitate al-Julani

DID Press: A recent report from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reveals that more than 11,000 people, including over 8,600 civilians, have been killed in northern Syria since the start of 2025, largely at the hands of forces loyal to Abu Muhammad al-Julani. Despite these figures, the U.S. and Turkey have reportedly moved to present al-Julani as a legitimate political actor.

According to SOHR and other sources, 59 detainees held by the so-called “Syrian Interim Government” under al-Julani’s leadership have died from torture. Many victims have reportedly been buried in mass graves, and cases of kidnapping, field executions, and widespread torture have been documented. The Observatory has called on international organizations to urgently identify perpetrators and locate thousands of missing persons.

Observers note a coordinated effort to rehabilitate al-Julani politically, citing recent videos of him alongside U.S. military commanders, including CENTCOM’s Brad Cooper and Coalition commander Kevin Lambert, as evidence. In Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has reportedly lifted asset freezes on al-Julani and his associates, signaling a shift in Ankara’s stance toward the controversial figure.

US journalist Laura Loomer criticized al-Julani’s proposed meetings in Washington, writing that efforts to rename or rebrand him serve to obscure his violent history and portray a notorious ISIS-affiliated figure as legitimate. Some European countries, however, continue to classify al-Julani as a terrorist; Moldova recently added him to its official list of individuals involved in terrorist activity and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Analysts suggest that the timing of al-Julani’s U.S. visit, combined with military operations against ISIS in northern Syria, could be a prelude to his inclusion in an American-led anti-ISIS coalition—an initiative framed as counterterrorism but potentially positioning one of Syria’s most infamous figures as a future political authority in the region.