No Turning Back
Page 38
Freelance journalism is a tough, lonely hustle. Good publishing opportunies are like unicorns. I’m grateful to the many editors who published my Syria work over the years at Time (thanks Howard Chua-Eoan!), Politico, Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, Al-Jazeera America, and The New Yorker, particularly Amy Davidson Sorkin and David Remnick, who have always been very generous to me.
I am strengthened by the many circles of sisterhood that envelop me, starting with my own sisters: Marian, Reema, Mirna, and Leanne—only borders separate us. My darling nieces and nephew. The formidable ladies of Beirut’s Jabhat al-Niswan: Leena Saidi, Suzan Haidamous, Dalia Khamissy, Mariam Karouny, Nour Samaha, and my guardian angel, Hwaida Saad. My cybersisters in ink: Vivian Salama, Hannah Allam, Alia Malek, Maria Abi Habib, Leila Fadel, Rym Momtaz, and Anne Barnard. Thank you, Nazha Merabi and Connie Zandi, for your constant encouragement over the years. The brothers who are honorary sisters, some of whom I inflicted my manuscript on: Matthias Bruggmann, Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, Nir Rosen, Martin Chulov, and Mohammed Aly Sergie. The Deca writers’ collective, of which I’m honored to be a part, helped brainstorm the subtitle (especially Delphine!).
Shukran Abu Jacky for translating most of the poems.
Finally, thank you to my selfless, hard-working mum and dad for raising daughters to know we could do and be anything. You taught us that our greatest assets in life were each other, and blessings such as a solid education, the things you carry within you not with you when one of those “single abrupt events that can upend everything” happens. You knew from experience.
INDEX
_______
Page numbers listed correspond to the print edition of this book. You can use your device’s search function to locate particular terms in the text.
Abazeed, Abulhassan, 49, 50, 51, 107, 109
Abbasid Caliphate, 280–81
Abdel-Nour, Ayman, 26, 30
Absi, Firas al-, 122–23, 144–46, 199
Abu Abdullah, see Jolani, Abu Mohammad al-
Abu Ahmad al-Shami (Abu Ahmad al-hudood; Abu Ahmad al-idari), 80, 127
Abu Ammar, 21–24
Abu Atheer al-Absi, 146, 197
Abu Azzam:
and Antalya Conference, 172, 174
background of, 32–34
and civil uprising, 34–37
and death of Bassem, 103
early detainments by Assad regime, 32, 34
and early insurgency, 62–66, 97–98
family visit, 198–200
and Farouq Battalions collapse, 212–14, 257–58
and Firas al-Absi, 144–45
and founding of Farouq Battalions, 74–75, 92
on governance, 258
and Hazm Movement, 258
and inter-rebel conflicts, 170–71, 197, 200–202
and ISIS, 317, 344–47
leadership role of, 98–100
marriage of, 309–11
memories of, 311
and Raqqa City, 191
on rebel-ISIS conflict, 311–12
self-image of, 336
shooting of, 200–202
and Tal Abyad, 166–67
and weapons acquisition, 109
wounding of, 201–2
Abu Fadel, 107, 108, 146, 147
Abu Hashem:
and Antalya Conference, 172, 173
and Farouq Battalions founding, 74
Farouq Battalions leadership role, 100
and Firas al-Absi, 145–46
and foreign journalists rescue, 104
and Hazm Movement, 258, 260, 318
and Iranian captives release, 105
and Jabhat al-Nusra-Hazm conflict, 314
and US military intervention, 313
and weapons acquisition, 107, 109, 121, 146, 260–61
Abu Hassan, 22
Abu Imad, 80, 205, 207
Abu Issa al-Tabqa, 317–18
Abu Julaybib, 80
Abu Khadija, 80
Abu Loqman, 191, 196–97, 206, 207–8, 209
Abu Mansour, 200, 201
Abu Maria al-Qahtani, 124, 125, 126, 204–5, 207
Abu Noor, 193, 194, 210
Abu Osama al-Amriki, 272
Abu Othman:
and beginning of civil uprising, 76, 78
and Daraa children, 76, 77–78
and early insurgency, 30
escape from ISIS, 275–77
and Fatah al-Islam, 16
and ISIS formation, 207–8
and Islamist amnesty (May 2011), 78–79
and Jihadi passage to Iraq, 26–27
and kidnappings, 334–35
and new Jabhat al-Nusra recruits (2014), 277–78
Abu Rabieh, 86, 87, 134, 326
Abu Ratib, 274, 278–79
Abu Rayyan, 245
Abu Samir, 80
Abu Sayyeh:
and Antalya Conference, 172, 173
Farouq Battalions leadership role, 100
and founding of Farouq Battalions, 74, 75
and weapons acquisition, 149
ad-Dawla, see ISIS
Adnani, Abu Mohammad al-:
and Al-Qaeda-ISIS break, 279–80
arrival of, 126
and ISIS formation, 207
and Jabhat al-Nusra conflict with ISI, 203, 204
and Jabhat al-Nusra internal conflicts, 128
Ahrar al-Sham, 122, 173, 244, 245, 328
Alaa (Abu Azzam’s wife), 309–11, 317, 344, 346, 347
Alaa (Ruha’s sister):
and civil uprising, 38, 42, 83, 85
escape to Turkey, 156–57, 159, 160
impact of civil war escalation on, 136, 151–53
Al Arabiya, 51
Alawites:
Assad regime detainees, 239
Assad regime incorporation of, 20
and Jabhat al-Nusra, 130
Latakia detainees, 222–26, 227–33, 253, 290–92, 337–43
religion of, 19
Aleppo, 171, 204
Al Jazeera, 51, 54, 69, 207
Al-Kabir Mosque (Rastan), 7, 9, 10, 48, 71
Alkrad, Mohammad Ayman, 76–77
Alkrad, Shukri, 77
Al-Qaeda:
disavowal of ISIS, 246, 249, 251–52, 277
and Fatah al-Islam, 16
image problem of, 125
international nature of, 247–48
and Iraq War, 80, 124–25, 126
ISIS break with, 279–80
and ISIS compared, 246–47
and ISIS formation, 207
and Jabhat al-Nusra, 80–81, 125–26, 129, 130–31, 318, 334, 335
and Jihadi passage to Iraq, 26, 27, 29
and muhajireen smuggling, 127
and radicalization, 15–16, 25
weakness of (2011), 81
and women’s roles, 252–53
see also Islamists; Jabhat al-Nusra
Anbari, Abu Ali al-, 129, 203, 204, 207
Annan, Kofi, 132–33
Antalya Conference (2012), 172–74, 211
Arab League peace mission (Dec. 2011–Jan. 2012), 98, 102
Arab uprisings (2011), xvii–xxi
Army of Conquest, 327–28
Arour, Adnan, 105–6
Art of War (Sun Tzu), 64
Asaad, Riad al-, 68–69, 105
Assad, Bashar al-:
and Alawite detainees, 342
and Annan peace plan (2012), 132–33
and Arab uprisings, xvii
and Iraq War, 26
and Islamists, 20
resignation rumor (July 2012), 141–42
and Syrian uprising, 70
see also Assad regime
Assad, Hafez al-, 3–4
and Alawites, 20
death of, 57
and Islamist groups, 19, 20
Rastan statue felling, 11–13, 44
see also Assad regime
Assad, Maher al-, 71
Assad regime:
amnesty (2014), 289
Bashar al-Assad successio
n, xviii
European Union sanctions on (2012), 237
interview on detainees (2013), 237–39
Islamist amnesty (May 2011), 78–79, 124
and Jihadi passage to Iraq, 26–30
leader deification, 5
proprietary version of Islam, 24
socioeconomic policies, 18–19, 34, 35, 55–56
suppression of Islamists, 18–19, 20–24, 25, 30, 49, 50, 57, 78
US criticisms of, 239
Assad regime, detainees of:
Abdel-Salam Fajr Mahmoud interview on, 237–39
Adra, 188–90, 234–36, 287–89
Alawites, 239
and Arab uprisings, 16–17
Camp Bucca, 80
during civil uprising, xx–xxi, 37, 40, 42, 76–78
during civil war (2014–15), 283–89
during civil war (2016), 331
during civil war escalation, 111–19, 161–65, 184–90, 234–36
Daraa children, xxi, 70, 76–78
and early insurgency, 30, 85–86, 98, 109
Islamists, 14–17, 23, 30, 32, 34
Salafi Jihadis, 29–30
torture of, 15, 17, 34, 77, 117–19, 286, 287
and weapons acquisition, 109
see also detainee radicalization; Palestine Branch; Sednaya Military Prison
Assad regime, political repression by:
and Abu Azzam’s background, 32–34
acceptance of, 4–5
and alternative sources of power, 154
and Arab uprisings, 5, 6
emergency law, xvii, 5, 78
fear as reaction to, 6–7
and state media, 68, 69
suppression of civil uprising, 10–11, 35–37, 38–41, 42–43, 44, 84–85
surveillance, 47–48
Attar, Bilal:
and Antalya Conference, 172
and civil uprising, 49, 50, 51
and weapons acquisition, 107, 109, 121, 146
Baath Party, see Assad regime
Baba Amr:
and civil uprising, 35–36
and early insurgency, 62–66, 97–102, 167
and inter-rebel conflicts, 169, 196–97
Bab al-Hawa, 144–45
Baghdadi, Abu Bakr al-:
and caliphate proclamation, 280
ISIS formation, 206–7
and Jabhat al-Nusra conflict with ISI, 203, 204–5
and Jabhat al-Nusra founding, 79–80
and Jabhat al-Nusra internal conflicts, 129
and Khorasan Group, 205–6
and muhajireen, 126, 127
see also Islamic State of Iraq
Bakr, Hajji, 127
Bambuzer, 51
Bandar:
and Abu Azzam’s family, 198, 200
and civil uprising, 35, 36
and death of Bassem, 102–3
detainment by ISIS, 254–56, 262–69
and early insurgency, 66
exile in Europe, 351
and ISIS formation, 210
and Islamic state as goal, 193
and Tal Abyad, 167
Basil, 142
Bassem, 62–63, 66, 99–100, 102–3, 266
Battalion of Emigrants, 230
Bin Laden, Osama, 81, 125, 253, 279
Bitar, Sheikh Amjad, 74, 100, 101, 172, 173
“black door,” see Sednaya Military Prison
Bouti, Sheikh Mohammad Ramadan Said al-, 187, 239
Bouvier, Edith, 103–4
Buqai, Ammar al-, 101
Camp Bucca, 80
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), 259–60, 270–73, 319
Chady (Ruha’s uncle), 217, 220–21
chemical weapons, 215–16
CIA rendition sites, 16
class differences, 18, 19, 56
Clinton, Hillary, 148
Clock Tower Massacre (Apr. 19, 2011), 36–37
Colvin, Marie, 103
Conroy, Paul, 103–4
Corrective Movement, 19
Da’bool, Ahmad, 36, 101
Daher, Mohammad, see Abu Azzam
Damascus bombing (2012), 137–38
Damascus Central Prison (Adra), 188–90, 234–36, 287–89
Daniels, William, 103–4
Daraa children, xxi, 70, 76–78
Darwish, Mohammad, 8, 9, 72, 94, 135, 303–4
dawa, 209, 250
detainee radicalization:
and Al-Qaeda propaganda, 15–16
in Camp Bucca, 80
in Sednaya Military Prison, 30, 78–79, 80, 124, 125, 126, 129, 349
emergency law, xvii, 5, 78
Espinosa, Javier, 103–4
Europe:
refugees in, 297–302, 306–7, 308, 348–50, 351–53
and sanctions on Assad regime, 237
and weapons acquisition, 110, 259
European Union, 237
exile, see refugees
Facebook:
and Arab uprisings, xvii, xix
and civil uprising, 10, 49, 50
Fallujah, Iraq, 29
Farouq Battalions:
Abdel-Razzak Tlass leadership, 100–101
Abu Azzam leadership, 98–100
and Antalya Conference, 172–73
collapse of, 212–14, 257–58
criticisms of, 167–68, 170–71
and Firas al-Absi, 145–46, 199
and foreign captives, 103–5
founding of, 37, 74–75, 92–93
and Free Syrian Army internal conflicts, 168–69
and Hazm Movement, 258
Jabhat al-Nusra conflict with, 196–97, 199, 200–202
and Joint Command, 168
and Tal Abyad, 166–67, 171–72, 196–97
and weapons acquisition, 101, 107, 109, 110, 121, 149–50
Farzat, Ahmad, 165, 184
Farzat, Suleiman Tlass, see Suleiman Tlass Farzat
Fatah al-Islam, 16
Fighting Vanguard massacre (Aleppo, 1979), 20
First Coastal Division, 338
foreign Islamist fighters, see muhajireen
Fouad, 56–58
France, 259
Free Officers’ Movement, 60, 68–69
Free Syrian Army (FSA):
and Antalya Conference, 173, 211
Free Officers’ Movement as precursor to, 60, 69
and governance, 155, 258
growth of, 106
hierarchy within, 105
internal conflicts, 168–69, 258–59
and Jabhat al-Nusra, 129, 226–27
Joint Command, 168–70, 172
and military defectors, 105, 168, 227
and muhajireen, 122
and Raqqa City, 191, 192
and rebel-ISIS conflict, 254–56, 264
and refugees in Turkey, 178
Saraqeb, 132, 133, 134
weakness (2013), 211–12
and weapons acquisition, 146–47, 169–70, 172, 213, 258–59
see also Farouq Battalions
Future Movement (Lebanon), 50–51, 101
see also Sakr, Okab
Gadahn, Adam, 125
Germany, 301–2, 351–53
governance:
Abu Azzam on, 258
under Army of Conquest, 327–28
under ISIS, 209–10, 246, 263–64, 274–75, 276–77, 309–10
under Jabhat al-Nusra, 129–30, 155, 191–92, 196, 243, 327, 330–31
and tansiqiyas, 154–56
Great Friday protests (Apr. 22, 2011), 37
Habib, Rami, 229–32, 290, 337–38
Haddad, Abu Barra al-, 24–25, 27, 29
Hadrame, Abu Saad al-, 191, 209, 245
Hama massacre (1982), 20–21
Hamid, Amjad, 69
Hamwi, Saleh al-, 80
Hanin (Alawite child), 223–26, 227, 229, 290–91, 292, 338, 339–43
Hariri, Rafik, 50–51
Hariri, Saad, 51, 93, 101, 146
Harmoush, Hussein, 59–60, 68, 69
Harun al-Rashid, 280–81
Hatab, Shaza al-, 339
Hazm Movement:
conflict with Jabhat al-Nusra, 313–14, 315, 316, 317–19
dissolution of, 318
founding of, 258
successes of, 261
US intelligence collaboration, 270–73, 315
and weapons acquisition, 259–60
Hizballah, 101, 104–5
Homs, 34–35, 37, 97, 103
Hossam (Mohammad’s brother), 25–26, 28, 29
human rights organizations, 60, 232
Hussein, Saddam, 26
Ibtaysh, Mithqal, 168, 169, 171, 172
Idlib City, 328
Idris, Salim, 168–69, 173, 211–12, 258
Ikhtiar, Hisham, 137
international community:
and chemical weapons, 216
and early insurgency, 73, 98
and Iranian captives release, 104–5
journalists in Baba Amr, 103–4
and medical care, 230
and misinformation, 60
and no-fly zone goal, 149
sanctions, 237
inter-rebel conflicts:
criticisms of Farouq Battalions, 167–68, 170–71
Farouq Battalions vs. Jabhat al-Nusra conflict, 196–97, 199, 200–202
and Firas al-Absi, 145–46, 199
Free Syrian Army internal conflicts, 168–69, 258–59
and Hazm Movement, 261, 313–14
and Islamic state as goal, 145–46, 193–96, 202
and Islamic State of Iraq, 144–45, 203–6
Jabhat al-Nusra internal conflicts, 128–29
Jabhat al-Nusra vs. Hazm conflict, 313–14, 315, 316, 317–19
see also rebel-ISIS conflict
Iran:
and early insurgency, 101, 104–5
and Farouq Battalions, 75
Iraq:
and ISIS caliphate proclamation, 280–81
and Jabhat al-Nusra, 126–27, 203
see also Islamic State of Iraq
Iraq War (2003):
and Al-Qaeda, 80, 124–25, 126
and Islamist radicalization, 26
Jihadi passage through Syria, 26–30
ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and As-Sham):
and Abu Atheer al-Absi, 146
Abu Azzam’s approval of, 344–47
and Al-Qaeda compared, 246–47
Al-Qaeda disavowal of, 246, 249, 251–52, 277
beheadings, 263, 265–66
break with Al-Qaeda, 279–80
caliphate proclamation, 280–81
child recruits, 262, 264, 265