Re-Assessing the Death and Legacy of Abu Musab al-Suri

Re-Assessing the Death and Legacy of Abu Musab al-Suri

In 2022, attention has returned to the important jihadist theorist, ideologue, and strategist, Abu Musab al-Suri, due to an article published by Syrian journalist, Hossam Jazmati, in February (SyriaTv, February 28). Citing personal sources, Jazmati reported that al-Suri died in 2011 and that he was executed by Bashar al-Assad’s regime while he was a prisoner. The publication of Jazmati’s article rekindled interest in al-Suri, and especially the debate about his writings and legacy. However, there is still no incontrovertible evidence of whether he is alive or, as Jazmati claims, dead.

Al-Suri: Dead or Alive?

Abu Musab al-Suri’s life has been described and outlined by several researchers and journalists (Terrorism Monitor, July, 7; al-Arabiya, March 1, 2006; Aljumhhuriya, November 13, 2013). However, what remains most obscure about him is his imprisonment and reported, albeit unconfirmed, death. In Jazmati’s article, eyewitnesses alleged that the Syrian-born jihadist leader was executed in 2011 at the beginning of the Syrian revolution. A similar opinion was expressed by another Syrian journalist, Majed Abdel Nour, of Thiqa News Agency, who claimed that al-Suri was executed by the regime in Sednaya prison eight years ago (thus in 2014). [1] Researchers and experts Aymen al-Tamimi, Tam Hussein, and Mina al-Lami, among others, also believe that al-Suri is probably deceased. [2]

Interviews with Syrian sources on the ground, including current and former jihadist and Syrian rebels, provide other versions of al-Suri’s fate. One of the first sources [3], who had direct contact with people close to Abu Musab al-Suri including Abu Khaled al-Suri, [4] asserted that Abu Musab al-Suri was arrested in late 2004. Until 2014, he was alive and in the company of Raid215. This is one of the main prisons of the al-Assad regime under the direct direction of military intelligence but was founded as early as 1969 under the supervision of Hafez al-Assad when he was Minister of Defence. Branch 215 in Kafr Sousa, Damascus is also where released prisoners have stated that torture and executions are carried out daily; hence it is known as the “Death Branch.” (Al-Jazeera, March 10, 2021; Syrian Observer, January 10, 2020).

As of 2018, al-Suri was also seemingly alive because news about him kept emerging from prisoners who were released until then. [5] However, the new prisoners released since 2018 have not known anything about al-Suri because he was in solitary confinement and was forbidden to mix with other prisoners after that time. Muzmjier al-Sham, whose is described as “a voice from the Sham [Syria] from within the jihadist mainstream” likewise asserted that “There are always rumors about the killing of Abu Musab without reliable news. No confirmation in jihadist circles. For me, Abu Musab is alive.” [6]

Nevertheless, over the years, one of the reasons raised as a cause for Abu Musab al-Suri’s death was that the Syrian regime had tortured him, but after the initial torture, he was treated with respect and provided with everything he needed. [7] However, several local sources confirmed that al-Assad had been negotiating with different actors, including Jabhat al-Nusra, for the release of al-Suri (Aawasat, September 3, 2014; AlMayadeen, September 2, 2014). [8 & 9] According to a commander of Syrian rebel forces, Al-Farouq Abu Bakr, several exchanges were conducted with the al-Assad regime, which resulted in the release of many women, children, and young people who were in the prisons, and, in 2017, al-Suri’s name came up. However, the number of hostages that the al-Assad regime’s representatives demanded to be exchanged for al-Suri was too large and the rebels rejected the proposal. [10] Al-Farouq Abu Bakr also stated that he was contacted by an al-Assad regime negotiator in March 2022, who reiterated that al-Suri was still alive and that the al-Assad regime could still exchange him for prisoners.

Conclusion: What is Al-Suri’s Legacy?

There is no doubt that the theoretical and strategic ideology developed by Abu Musab al-Suri influenced post-9/11 al-Qaeda strategy (Egyptian Institute for Studies, Semptember 26, 2019). His vision was to transform al-Qaeda from a hierarchical and highly vulnerable organization into a decentralized and resilient movement, which is essentially the formula adopted by al-Qaeda after the collapse of the Taliban in 2001 and particularly after the rise of Aymen al-Zawahiri. Al-Suri’s ideas were widely disseminated on the internet (albeit often in summaries of his enormous output) and, therefore, not only influenced the strategy of al-Qaeda, but also the Islamic State, Jabhat al-Nusra and its successor Hayat Tahrir as-Sham (HTS), and lone actors who engaged in “Individual Jihad.”

Also effective was al-Suri’s critique of the Salafism of Abu Qatada al-Filistini (AlJazeera, March 9, 2017). Al-Suri criticized the Salafists, including Abu Qatada’s hardline views, for being too fanatical and causing infighting within the Muslim world and jihadist organizations. He saw disputes over Salafist doctrine as a security risk to the jihadist movement. Al-Suri chastised, for example, the Salafists in Afghanistan; in his view, their zeal was destructive, particularly in dealing with Taliban and non-Salafi mujahedeen.

Whether or not he is alive or dead, al-Suri’s legacy is strong, alive, and enduring. His refusal to retract his writings, even at the risk of being imprisoned, made him even more important and venerated. It is probable that one of the reasons why jihadists have essentially failed up to now is precisely because they have not successfully practiced what al-Suri preached, and instead became unpopular, elitist, and marginal in their recruitment and operations.

Notes

[1] Author’s interview with Syrian journalist Majed Abdel Nour.

[2] Author’s interviews with the experts mentioned.

[3] Interview with Saleh al-Hamawi, January 3, 2022. As a young Syrian political activist, he was arrested by the Syrian regime and spent five years in Sednaya prison. He later joined the Syrian revolution and was the first founder of the Al-Nusra Front, as well as the head of appointments for all sector leaders in Syria except Aleppo and Idlib. Responsible for the relationships, unions, and mergers of many factions in the Syrian rebel scene, he left the group after the arrival of Abu Muhammed al-Julani. Today he is a researcher.

[4] Abu Khaled al-Suri was a Syrian militant and rebel. A follower and right-hand man of Abu Musab al-Suri, he is thought to be one of the co-founders of Ahrar al-Sham. According to Saleh al-Hamewi, Abu Khaled was killed by ISIS in 2013 in Aleppo.

[5] Interview with Saleh al-Hamawi.

[6] Private interview of the author with Muzmjier al-Sham. His twitter handle is: @MzmjerSh.

[7] Interviews with Saleh al-Hamawi and a Syrian Hurras al-Din (HaD) militant, who requested anonymity.

[8] Interview with Saleh al-Hamawi, who added: “I asked Abu Khaled about the reason for his release and departure from Abu Musab [al-Suri], and he told me that Abu Musab was asked to announce his retraction of the book ‘The People of the Levant in the Face of the Nusayri, the Jews, and the Crusaders’, in exchange for his release and him to go to the country he wanted, but he categorically refused”.

[9] Interview with a Syrian source who allowed himself to be identified only as Khattab al-Shami.

[10] Interview with Al-Farouq Abu Bakr, one of the leaders and commanders of the Syrian National Rebel Army. Since 2013, he has been involved in the dossier of prisoners in the Assad regime’s jails and prisoner exchanges with it.