Syrian Journalist Discusses What Led to the Rebel Takeover in Syria

WE'VE SPOKEN SPOKEN SEVERAL TIMES THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THE CIVIL WAR.

AS A SYRIAN, SOMEONE WHO WAS FORCED TO LEAVE THE ASSAD CIVIL WAR, WHAT ARE YOU FEELING NOW?

>> I HAVE BEEN ASKED THAT QUESTION A LOT OVER THE PAST TWO DAYS.

HONESTLY YOU DO NOT HAVE A COHERENT ANSWER THAT I CAN GIVE RIGHT NOW.

OBVIOUSLY, I AM AT JOY BUT AT THE SAME TIME GIVEN THE EXPERIENCES, I SPEAK FOR MANY SYRIANS, FOR THE PAST 14 YEARS, WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HOPEFUL.

EVEN WHEN EVENTS SEEM TO LOOK LIKE THEY WERE HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, WE WOULD BE SIGNED WITH A SERIES OF VERY UNFORTUNATE EVENTS.

AND I THINK MAYBE SYRIANS GENERALLY ARE TRAUMATIZED AND CAN'T JUST ACCEPT THAT THIS ONE ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE IT IS HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

JUST UNDER TWO WEEKS AGO SYRIAN TO ME, THIS WON'T BE A POPULAR THING TO SAY, SYRIA TO ME WAS A DISTANT MEMORY.

IT WAS A SUBJECT, A TOPIC I WANTED TO AVOID.

THAT WAS THE RESULT OF MANY THINGS THAT WENT WRONG.

AND, THE BASIC, BLEAK FUTURE THAT MYSELF AND MANY SYRIANS I THINK PERCEIVED THE FUTURE WOULD BRING.

>> CERTAINLY THE UNITED STATES, OTHERS IN THE REGION, THEY HAD PRETTY MUCH DECIDED THAT ASSAD HAD WON THIS CIVIL WAR AND THERE WERE ALL SORTS OF INTERVENTIONS TO TRY TO REHABILITATE HIM IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION, TO TRY TO BRING HIM ON-SIDE, BY THE U.S., FOR INSTANCE, POTENTIALLY SEPARATING HIM FROM HIS MAIN BACKER, IRAN.

WHAT ARE YOU HEARING - WHY HAS IT BEEN SUCH A SURPRISE?

HOW DID THIS REBEL COALITION NOT TOO FAR FROM INSIDE THE BORDER FROM TURKEY DO THIS?

PARTICULARLY SINCE THE LEADER, ABU MOHAMMAD AL-JOLANI, SINCE THEY HAVE BEEN PLANNING FOR A YEAR.

>> IT WAS, I DON'T WANT TO SAY THAT I KNEW THAT THIS PLANNING WHAT'S GOING ON BUT ONCE THIS OFFENSIVE STARTED AND GIVEN THE LINKS THAT IN GENERAL SOMEONE HAS WITH THOSE INVOLVED, IT BECAME VERY CLEAR TO ME AND I THINK MANY PEOPLE THAT ARE ABLE TO REACH OUT AND GET INFORMATION THAT THIS EFFORT HAD BEEN PREPARED FOR QUITE A WHILE.

ANYONE CLAIMING AT THIS STAGE THAT THE GOAL WAS TO TAKE SYRIA AND BRING DOWN THE ASSAD REGIME IS JUST TAKING ADVANTAGE OF BEING ABLE TO SAY THAT IN HINDSIGHT.

I THINK THE REALITY IS THE AMBITION WAS TO TAKE BACK SOME TERRITORY.

THE NAME OF THE OFFENSIVE INDICATES THAT.

IT WAS TO BASICALLY REPEL A, AND OFFENSIVE BY THE GOVERNMENT .

THAT IS THE NAME OF THE MOVEMENT.

I DON'T THINK ANYONE ACTUALLY EXPECTED THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.

I DEFINITELY SPEAK FOR MYSELF INSIDE AND I NEVER DREAMED THIS WOULD HAPPEN.

BUT, WHAT HAS BEEN I MEAN, IF I COULD JUST GIVE A QUICK BACK STORY.

ABU MOHAMMAD AL-JOLANI WAS OBVIOUSLY , HAD HIS LINKS TO THE ISLAMIC STATE AND OBVIOUSLY WITH AL QAEDA BUT HE HAS VERY PRAGMATICALLY, OVER THE YEARS, CREATED THESE LINKS AND DEFECTED FROM THEM.

WHEN HE PLEDGED ALLEGIANCE TO AL QAEDA, IT WAS BASICALLY TO PROTECT HIMSELF FROM THE ISLAMIC STATE BECAUSE HE HAD BASICALLY CROSSED AFTER THEY HAD SENT HIM TO ALEPPO.

SORRY, TO NORTHERN SYRIA TO ESTABLISH THE ISLAMIC STATE THERE.

THEN, HE BROKE TIES WITH AL QAEDA.

FIRST IT WAS JUST PUBLICLY, THEN IT BECAME AN OFFICIAL BREAK OF TIES.

WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THAT WAS THAT, MAINLY IN THE PAST FOUR, FIVE YEARS, ABU MOHAMMAD AL- JOLANI HAS WORKED WITH CIVIL SOCIETY TO BUILD A DEMONSTRATION OF 11 MINISTRIES AND WORK WITH CIVIL SOCIETY.

WHAT I AM SAYING NOW MIGHT SOUND LIKE I AM DEFENDING HIM.

I'M NOT.

I AM ACTUALLY VERY SKEPTICAL.

I DON'T TRUST ABU MOHAMMAD AL- JOLANI.

I THINK WHAT HE'S DOING NOW IS VERY PROMISING.

WE JUST HEARD OUT OF DAMASCUS TODAY I THINK DAMASCUS, THAT A NUMBER OF LAWS AND GUIDELINES HAVE BEEN SET FOR THE FACTORS, THEY ARE NOT ALLOWED TO INTERFERE IN SOMETHING LIFE, THEY ARE NOT ALLOWED TO TELL WOMEN WHAT THEY ARE ALLOWED TO WEAR AND NOT WEAR.

THESE THINGS ARE PROMISING.

ABU MOHAMMAD AL-JOLANI PLEDGING HE'S CONSIDERING DISSOLVING HTS IS A PROMISING THING TO SAY.

I THINK WHAT WE NEED MOVING FORWARD IS ACTION.

AND, I DON'T THINK THAT I DON'T THINK IT IS UP TO ME TO DECIDE OR SUGGEST THAT ABU MOHAMMAD AL- JOLANI SHOULD BE FORGIVEN FOR WHAT HE HAS DONE IN THE PAST.

I THINK THE FIRST STEP HE CAN TAKE IN ACTUALLY PROVING THAT, THE THINGS THAT HE HAS SAID THAT HE RESPECTS THE ASPIRATIONS OF SYRIANS WHO WANT TO SEE A FUTURE DEMOCRATIC STATE THAT WERE PRESENT THE RIGHTS OF ALL SYRIANS REGARDLESS OF OR ETHNICITY, THE FIRST STEP IN DOING THAT IS HANDING OVER POWER TO A TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT AND STEPPING ASIDE.