Who is Abu Mohammed al-Golani? Syrian rebel leader toppled President Bashar Assad's regime

The Syrian government led by President Bashar Assad collapsed early Sunday, after a rebel offensive that seized control of the capital of Damascus. The Assad family's 50 years of iron rule ended due to Syrian rebels. Abu Mohammed al-Julani led the offensive and toppled Bashar's regime. 

Abu Mohammed al-Golani has spent years working to remake his public image, renouncing longtime ties to al-Qaida and depicting himself as a champion of pluralism and tolerance. In recent days, the insurgency even dropped his nom de guerre and began referring to him by his real name, Ahmad al-Sharaa.

The 42-year-old al-Golani -- labelled a terrorist by the United States -- has not appeared publicly since Damascus fell early Sunday. He currently heads the most powerful armed opposition force in Syria, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

For years, al-Golani worked to consolidate power, while bottled up in the province of Idlib in Syria's northwest corner as Assad's Iranian- and Russian-backed rule over much of the country appeared solid. He maneuvered among extremist organisations while eliminating competitors and former allies.

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He sought to polish the image of his de-facto “salvation government” that has been running Idlib to win over international governments and reassure Syria's religious and ethnic minorities. And he built ties with various tribes and other groups. Along the way, al-Golani shed his garb as a hard-line Islamist guerrilla and put on suits for press interviews, talking of building state institutions and decentralizing power to reflect Syria's diversity.

Al-Golani's ties to al-Qaida stretch back to 2003, when he joined extremists battling US troops in Iraq. The Syrian native was detained by the US military but remained in Iraq. During that time, al-Qaida usurped like-minded groups and formed the extremist Islamic State of Iraq, led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

(With inputs from AP/PTI)