Ex-US Ambassador to Syria Reveals Role in Rebranding Ahmad Al-Sharaa

Al Manar

21-05-2025

Former US Ambassador to Damascus Robert Ford disclosed a behind-the-scenes Western role—particularly American—that indirectly facilitated Ahmad Al-Sharaa's path to power.
Speaking earlier this month at the Baltimore Council on Foreign Affairs, Ford confirmed that the United States played an indirect role, beginning with a series of meetings in 2023 when Al-Shara was still leading Hayaat Tahrir Al-Sham under the alias 'Abu Mohammad Al-Joulani,' up until his eventual rise to the presidency of Syria.
He noted that a UK-based non-governmental organization, specializing in conflict resolution, invited a European team—of which Ford was a member—to guide Al-Shara into the political arena, rather than allowing him to remain within the framework of armed groups. These efforts, according to Ford, were part of a broader Western strategy for political rehabilitation.
The video below, edited by The Cradle, shows the ex-ambassador's remarks.
'The first time I heard of him was during my time in Iraq between 2000 and 2003, where he was a prominent figure in al-Qaeda's operations in northern Iraq,' Ford said.
'In 2023, I received an invitation from a British NGO to help extract him from the world of terrorism and prepare him for a political role.'
According to Ford, his first meeting with Al-Sharaa took place in March 2023 and was followed by a second in September. Their third and final encounter occurred in January of this year—inside the presidential palace in Damascus—after Al-Sharaa had assumed power.
Ford noted that the three meetings were not, by themselves, sufficient to politically legitimize Al-Sharaa. Rather, they marked the culmination of a longer process that began in 2016, when Al-Sharaa formally cut ties with Al-Qaeda and 'began presenting a more moderate image within the context of the Syrian opposition movement.'