On September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, flew them into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, murdering approximately 3,000 people and wounding thousands of others.
In 2012, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi — the leader of ISIS — tasked Ahmed al-Sharaa (aka Abu Mohammad al-Julani) with forming a contingent of al-Qaeda in Syria. Sharaa then set up this al-Qaeda branch, naming it the Nusrah Front (Jabhat al-Nusra), and put into action taxing civilians, looting factories, and kidnapping civilians for hefty ransoms. At one point, the Nusrah Front was helping support the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq. In 2013, Sharaa declared the organization's allegiance to al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri and expressed their "pride in the banner of the Islamic State in Iraq."
In 2017, Sharaa formed Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). The same year, HTS announced the creation of what it called the "Syrian Salvation Government" (SSG) in the governorate of Idlib, with Sharaa as its de facto ruler. There, HTS forces forcibly expelled from homes, detained, tortured or murdered many civilians. They also removed crosses from churches and prevented Christian pastors and priests from walking outside in religious attire.
Now, 13 years after he created Syrian al-Qaeda, Sharaa is now Syria's self-described "president," and is expected to mark his United Nations debut with an official address to the General Assembly in New York on September 24, during the 80th session of the organization.
The United States has granted Sharaa an entry visa to visit the country from September 21-25. According to the sources, Sharaa will be accompanied on the trip by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and Syria's new envoy to the United Nations, Ibrahim al-Albi.
Sharaa's HTS, with Turkey's help, conquered the Syrian capital of Damascus in December 2024, overthrowing the regime of Bashar al-Assad.
Because of their association with al-Qaeda and ISIS, Sharaa and HTS were designated as terrorists by several countries—including the United States (until July 2025) and the United Kingdom, as well as the United Nations and the European Union.
Since seizing power in Syria, Sharaa's new Islamist regime has systematically targeted, abducted, raped, tortured and massacred Druze, Christians, Alawites and people of religious minorities.
On July 13, the Islamist regime launched an incursion against the majority-Druze city of Suweida and its surrounding villages in the south, and massacred civilians, mainly Druze, including children. Some victims were tortured; others were abducted and remain missing. All were singled out based on their non-Muslim religion. Atrocities were filmed by the perpetrators, who then posted them on social media.
Although Suweida is primarily populated by the Druze, it is also home to a sizable Christian minority. Currently, hundreds of Druze remain hostages at the hands of the Sharaa regime.
"The Druze were abducted by the regime's MoD [Ministry of Defense] and General Security forces," Socrates Naufal, a Druze from Syria who works as a translator from English to Arabic, related to Gatestone:
"Those are the same Jolani's forces who are documented all over social media by the videos that they were sharing with pride.
"On September 9, 16 bodies were received in the national hospital of Sweida from Damascus. They were recognized as those who were abducted alive and detained in Dar'aa by the regime's forces on July 16. The current location of the others who were abducted is not yet confirmed. Some appeared -- in dire condition -- on the regime's media in Adra's Prison, on the outskirts of Damascus. Other groups were reported held hostage in Dar'aa and Idlib, locations where the Jolani regime is still utilizing 'extra judicial' prisons and has a market for the 'spoils of war,' as they call the abducted people. The regime provides no information about their current status or condition.
"The families of the victims have not been able to seek help from the regime. It is controlled by a small circle who publicly support the regime and promote its false narratives. These 'intermediaries' deny the systematic campaign of extermination targeting our community. They are not even based in Sweida. They live outside the governorate and have no connection to the daily life of the people here.
"The Jolani regime (HTS/al-Nusra) declares the Druze outside their narrow definition of Islam and frames its attacks on them as a jihad (holy war). The deeper reason, however, is that Sweida and the Druze community have consistently called for a secular, democratic Syria based on equal citizenship, human rights, and the rule of law. This vision directly contradicts the Islamic state government that Jolani seeks to impose. You can see it in his constitutional declaration, his loyalty-based government, and his reliance on Sharia law rather than universal legal principles. The Druze stand for an alternative Syria that extremists cannot tolerate.
"The Druze are hoping that the US and EU will recognize the real nature of this threat. Washington says it is committed to eliminating ISIS, yet ISIS is part of the forces aligned with the Jolani regime. HTS/Al-Nusra is merely another name for ISIS. Normalizing relations with such a regime means nothing but supporting terrorists and empowering them to expand their influence. The West needs to be clear-eyed: these groups are built on an ideology that rejects democracy as a 'heresy' against Allah's law, denies universal human rights by placing Muslims above all others, and suppresses any attempt at building national institutions in favor of an 'Islamic nation.'
"The Druze, therefore, hope that the US and EU will not only to refuse to legitimize extremist regimes but also that they will recognize the threat to its existence that the Druze community faces, and that they will provide protection, and support their right to self-determination. They need to demand the safe return of abducted civilians, clarification of the fate of the missing, the establishment of a humanitarian corridor, an independent international commission of inquiry, and unfettered access for the press and media."
Amr Fahed, another Druze, told Gatestone:
"More than half of the abducted remain unaccounted for. Some bodies arrive daily at the Sweida Hospital, apparently tortured or executed.
"242 cases of rape have been documented following the regime's invasion of Sweida. And this topic is of great sensitivity for the community as a whole.
"Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led by al-Julani, are believed to be responsible for the abductions and other atrocities, especially after its members were monitored around Daraa and Sweida during the time the abductions took place. Reports indicate that they are being held in secret prisons run by the regime in the Idlib countryside or northern Daraa.
"So far, no deaths have been reported among the abductees, so they may still be alive, even if in conditions less than humane.
"The targeting of the Druze by the regime has several dimensions. The regime seeks to impose its control over southern Syria and considers Sweida 'an area outside of obedience.' The regime considers the Druze a 'deviant sect,' even though the leadership attempts to project a moderate rhetoric. Strategically, controlling Sweida means controlling the border with Jordan, which al-Sharaa's regime seeks as part of its political project. The ultimate goal of the regime is to subjugate Sweida and integrate it into the 'Islamic administration' project promoted by the regime, but strongly rejected by the people of Sweida.
"The Druze are calling on US and EU for urgent intervention to stop the expansion of armed groups in the south. As a threatened minority, the Druze need international protection and humanitarian support. We need the media to document violations, pressure actors, and future constitutional guarantees in any political solution that assure Sweida's independence and the rights of its residents."
Another Druze from Syria, Samer Fahed, told Gatestone:
"The number of missing Druze in Syria exceeds 800 people, possibly more but we cannot be sure as we have no way of accessing villages occupied by the Ministries of Defense and Internal Security under Jolani's authority.
"The abductions occurred when the regime forces attacked Sweida from July 13th to 19th, simultaneously with the reopening of the Damascus–Sweida road. Since then, the number of kidnappings has escalated and we have documented at least 15 new cases of people kidnapped on this road.
"There were also abductions and arrests targeting students and Druze civilians in various governorates. There is evidence that many were transferred to Dmascus's Adra Central Prison. It is currently managed by the Internal Security Forces led by the former commander of the Internal Security Forces in Sweida, Brigadier General Dalati"
Fahed said that he and other Druze activists informed some international organizations, including an Independent International Commission under the United Nations, Amnesty International, and the seven UN special rapporteurs, who have since issued a statement on this matter. He said:
"We hold the regime responsible and are pressing for the release of the abductees. The issue of abducted women is non-negotiable. Women should not be politicized. Women must not be used as war captives.
"Jolani committed the massacre in July under the pretext of 'extending state control over all Syrians.' In Sweida, however, he acted selectively. He demanded the disarmament of Sweida but did not demand the disarmament of the Sunni Arab tribes, who surround and attack Sweida from Daraa, outside the authority of the Ministry of Defense.
"The Druze have lost trust in the European Union and the U.S. administration: they allowed the July massacre against the Druze. We continue to engage with them anyway, to protect our community and safeguard its rights. The Western governments also have not contributed to implementing UN Security Council Resolution 2254, which calls for a political transition in Syria with the participation of all Syrians."
In a few days, on September 24, Sharaa -- despite his connections with al-Qaeda and ISIS and his ongoing crimes in Syria -- will address the United Nations in New York.
How much longer will the West tolerate this "experiment"?
Uzay Bulut, a Turkish journalist, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
