The general commander of Ahrar al-Sham Islamic Movement, Hashim al-Sheikh, addressed the people of Syria in a speech to mark the fourth anniversary of the Syrian revolution. The speech, made during a military parade by Ahrar al-Sham fighters, carried several messages to the Syrian people and the world.
Hisham (Abu Jaber) commenced the speech by greeting the Syrian people living in camps, while paying respect to a number of martyrs killed under torture, such as Ghiath Matar and Hamza al-Khatib.
Abu Jaber recalled notable moments of the revolution and mentioned the vast sacrifices made by the Syrian people, which have shaken the regime in the face of Iranian interventions.
Abu Jaber claimed that more than 200,000 mercenary fighters were brought by Iran to assist Assad as the whole world watched on silently.
He expressed his rejection of political initiatives which he described as "truncated attempts that aim to save the regime from certain death". Abu Jaber said that those who call for such initiatives have forgotten the blood of hundreds of thousands of Syrians.
He stressed that the Syrian people no longer accept any other solutions other than the one for which they made so many sacrifices, explaining that the Syrian people wanted to remove Assad, becasue "God wants to restore the nation".
Abu Jaber promised the regime and the Iranian militias would face more resistance, stressing that "Sham is the invaders' cemetery", referring to the recent battles in Aleppo, in which Ahrar al-Sham was largely involved. He also called on his fighters and the Syrian people not to despair because of the current situation.
Ahrar Sham Islamic Movement is one of the largest factions of the Syrian armed resistance. It combines jihadism and moderation, which makes it a strong candidate to lead the Syrians in their struggle to oust the Assad regime.
