paper hero of the Syrian "revolution"

Astonishingly, US newspapers (especially the Post and the Times) published tributes and hagiographic eulogies for the Syrian Islamist militant commander, `Abdul-Qadir As-Salih.  Loveday Morris of the Washington Post went even further than Anne Barnard of the Times and spoke about:  "tributes to his heroism and humility", never mind that he was aligned with Nusrah Front and Al-Qa`idah and that his troops engaged in the typical thuggery and war crimes characteristic of the Syrian "revolution".  But this article about him in As-Safir adds another dimension to his personality: apparently, he was obsessed with his image in the media and was keen on propaganda promotion and hired his own Goebbels.  It worked, just as the fanatic mujahidin of Afghanistan were presented as heroes to the American public.  I also like that the media in the West presented him as some former secular progressive who suddenly shifted ideology due to the repression of the regime when his background all along was with Islamist radical organizations.