Foreign fighters and their jihadist ideologies: the shadow of extremism behind Syria’s new leader

“Kafir” (“unbelievers”), “Rafida” (“rejecters of the true faith”) – these are some of the jihadist terms used by foreign Islamist factions aligned with Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) to denigrate Syria’s minority communities. Despite the tolerance espoused by HTS's leader since his group took control of Syria in a two-week offensive, the language adopted by these foreign jihadists echoes that of al Qaeda and the Islamic State group. These same terms have long been used to justify the persecution and killing of minorities, particularly Shias, in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

This is the second part of a two-part series on the fears of Syrian minorities after the fall of the Assad regime. Read part one here.

The foreign fighters in the HTS alliance come from a variety of backgrounds: Chechens, Uighurs, Uzbeks, Afghans, Albanians – and even French nationals. These non-Syrian militants operate either within their own groups, which are aligned with HTS, or are embedded directly within its ranks. HTS itself has been designated as a terrorist organisation by both the US and EU.

While they are relatively small in number, these foreign groups serve as the backbone of HTS's military operations, according to Broderick McDonald, a leading expert on jihadist groups in Syria. The foreign brigades, which typically range in size from a few dozen to several hundred fighters, play a decisive role on the battlefield.

Pierret continues: