Anas Hasan Khattab () is a Syrian politician and former military commander who is currently serving as the minister of Interior in the

Syrian transitional government The Syrian transitional government () is the current provisional government of Syria, formed on 29 March 2025 under President Ahmed al-Sharaa. It succeeded the Syrian caretaker government headed by Mohammed al-Bashir. The government was ...

since 29 March 2025. According to several reports, Khattab was previously affiliated with factions linked to

al-Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...

during the early years of the Syrian civil war. However, Khattab has denied ongoing ties with extremist groups and has described his role during the conflict as part of the broader Syrian opposition. He was the deputy commander of

Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) was a Sunni Islamist political organisation and paramilitary group involved in the Syrian civil war. It was formed on 28January 2017 as a merger between several armed groups: Jaysh al-Ahrar (an Ahrar al-Sham facti ...

under

Ahmed al-Sharaa Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa (born 29 October 1982) also known by his ''nom de guerre'' Abu Mohammad al-Julani, is a Syrian politician and former rebel commander serving as the president of Syria since January 2025. He previously served as the coun ...

, and the head of the General Security Apparatus within the group.

Early life and education

Anas Khattab, also known as Abu Ahmad Hudoud, was born in 1987 in the town of

Jayrud Jairoud (; also spelled Jerud or Jayroud) is a city in southern Syria, administratively part of the Rif Dimashq Governorate, located northeast of Damascus in the Qalamoun Mountains. Nearby localities include ar-Ruhaybah, al-Qutayfah and Muadamiy ...

, located in the western Qalamoun region of

Rif Dimashq Governorate Rif Dimashq Governorate (, Literal translation, lit. "Damascus Countryside Governorate" or "Damascus Suburb") is one of the fourteen Governorates of Syria, governorates (provinces) of Syria. It is situated in the southwestern part of the country. ...

, Syria. He initially studied architectural engineering at the University of Damascus before leaving Syria for

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

in 2008. His departure was reportedly motivated by his intent to "fight against the American occupation" during that time. Khattab got the nickname "Abu Ahmad Hudoud" (Hudoud meaning Borders in Arabic) from his days in

Al-Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...

under the leadership of

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (; , "Father of Musab, of Zarqa"; October 30, 1966 – June 7, 2006), born Ahmad Fadeel Nazal al-Khalayleh (), was a Jordanian militant jihadist who ran a training camp in Afghanistan. He became known after going to Iraq a ...

, which eventually evolved into the

Islamic State in Iraq The Islamic State of Iraq (ISI; ') was a Salafi jihadist militant organization that fought the forces of the U.S.-led coalition during the Iraqi insurgency. The organization aimed to overthrow the Iraqi federal government and establish an ...

. Khattab was entrusted with managing a guesthouse on the Syrian-Iraqi border that prepared fighters crossing the border.

Career

Khattab joined

Al-Nusra Front Al-Nusra Front or Jabhat al-Nusra or Jabhat Nusrat Ahl al-Sham, also known as Front for the Conquest of the Levant, and also later known as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham was a Salafi-jihadist organization that fought against Ba'athist Syria, Ba'athist ...

(later

) in 2012 and quickly rose through its ranks. He became known for his strategic and intelligence capabilities, playing a critical role in securing the group's dominance in the Idlib region. He was instrumental in dismantling rival factions, including

Hurras al-Din Tanzim Hurras al-Din (), sometimes referred to as Al-Qaeda in Syria, was a Salafi Jihadist organization that fought in the Syrian civil war. The group's former head, Abu Humam al-Shami, was the general military commander of the defunct Al-Nusr ...

, by penetrating their ranks and orchestrating precision operations. Khattab was reportedly recruited by

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

National Intelligence Organization loction 39°54'25.0"N 32°39'59.3"E The National Intelligence Organization (), also known by its Turkish language, Turkish initials MIT or MİT, or colloquially as the Organization (), is an intelligence agency of the Turkish government tasked ...

and acted as a liaison between them and Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham after the latter took control of

Idlib Idlib (, ; also spelt Idleb or Edlib) is a city in northwestern Syria, and is the capital of the Idlib Governorate. It has an elevation of nearly above sea level, and is southwest of Aleppo. It is located near the border with Turkey. History ...

. In March 2025, Khattab, as Director of the General Intelligence Service, along with Syrian President al-Shaara and other senior ministers met with a Turkish delegation which included the head of Turkish intelligence. The meeting came immediately following a deal between the Syrian government and Kurdish militias in North East Syria who have clashed with Turkish forces in the past. Khattab's career within Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham includes several high-profile positions: * Former General Administrator of Jabhat al-Nusra * Deputy to Abu Mohammad al-Julani * Head of the General Security Apparatus As the head of the General Security Apparatus, Khattab oversaw efforts to eliminate extremist factions such as

ISIL The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS occupied signif ...

in Idlib, employing sophisticated infiltration and rapid-response tactics. His leadership has been credited with maintaining relative stability in HTS-controlled areas. On 29 March 2025, Khattab was appointed Minister of Interior in the

Personal life

Khattab is reportedly multilingual and is known for his preference for operating behind the scenes. Despite his prominence, no public images of him have been released until his appointment on 26 December 2024. His professional background in architecture contrasts with the political and economic studies pursued by many of his contemporaries in

Controversies

Khattab has faced allegations of involvement in the assassination of rival jihadist leaders via U.S. drone strikes, accusations frequently leveled by factions such as

. He was designated a terrorist by the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 2012, and by the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

in 2014. The Turkish government resisted these designations until November 2016, when they too designated Khattab a terrorist, but intelligence cooperation continued and even expanded as HTS solidified its control over Idlib. He also published a pro-jihadist book called "Islam is the religion of Jihad" (), in its foreword he praised

Abdullah Yusuf Azzam Abdullah Yusuf Azzam () was a Palestinian-Jordanian Islamist jihadist and theologian. Belonging to the Salafi movement within Sunni Islam, he and his family fled from what had been the Jordanian-annexed West Bank after the 1967 Six-Day War a ...

Osama bin Laden Osama bin Laden (10 March 19572 May 2011) was a militant leader who was the founder and first general emir of al-Qaeda. Ideologically a pan-Islamist, Bin Laden participated in the Afghan ''mujahideen'' against the Soviet Union, and support ...

Ayman al-Zawahiri Ayman Mohammed Rabie al-Zawahiri (; 19 June 195131 July 2022) was an Egyptian-born pan-Islamism, pan-Islamist militant and physician who served as the second general emir of al-Qaeda from June 2011 until Killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri, his dea ...

, and Abu Musab al-Suri.

Notes

References