The leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Ahmed al-Sharaa, known as Abu Muhammad al-Julani, announced in a written statement his intention to dissolve the security forces affiliated with the regime of fugitive President Bashar al-Assad .
Al-Jolani also stressed that anyone involved in torturing and killing detainees in Syrian prisons will not receive amnesty .
He said in a statement: “We will not pardon those who were involved in torturing and liquidating detainees and were the cause of that, and we will pursue them in our country .”
He continued: “We demand that countries hand over to us those criminals who have fled to them, so that justice can be served against them .”
Al-Julani had announced that the new authorities in Syria would soon publish “a first list of the names of the most senior figures involved in torturing the Syrian people .”
He stressed that a list of those involved in torture operations will be published in order to prosecute and hold them accountable .
Al-Julani revealed that rewards will be offered to anyone who provides information about senior army and security officers involved in war crimes .
Al-Jolani also confirmed that the organization, which currently controls most of the Syrian regions, is working in coordination with international organizations to ensure the protection of sites that may contain chemical weapons .
For its part, the US Department of Defense (the Pentagon) welcomed al-Julani’s statements regarding chemical weapons, but stressed the importance of turning these statements into tangible actions .
At the same time, the United States has been cautious in its assessment of the changes taking place in Syria following the fall of the Assad regime and the takeover of power by armed opposition factions, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham .
John Finer, the US Deputy National Security Advisor, indicated that Washington is still considering its options on how to deal with the Syrian opposition groups at this sensitive stage.
