The First Iraqi Official Met With Leader of Tahrir al-Sham in Syria
Hamid al-Shatri, head of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service, met with Abu Muhammad al-Julani (also known as Ahmed al-Sharaa), the head of the Syrian transitional government, in Damascus.
The meeting focused on developments in Syria and the necessary measures for ensuring security and stability along the Iraqi-Syrian border.
It is noteworthy that Abu Muhammad al-Julani was sentenced to death by an Iraqi court many years ago for his involvement in various terrorist activities in Iraq; however, Iraqi officials have now chosen to engage with him.
Al-Julani joined al-Qaeda in Iraq in 2003, just weeks before the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and quickly rose through the ranks of the organization. He was arrested by U.S. forces in 2006 and spent more than five years in prison. Al-Julani’s release from prison occurred in 2011, only by chance!! coinciding with the onset of the Syrian war, he formed the terrorist grou Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda after reaching an agreement with Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
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