U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saturday that American officials were in direct contact with the Syrian rebel group that led the overthrow of President Bashar Assad’s government but is designated a foreign terrorist organization by the United States and others.
Blinken is the first US official to publicly confirm contacts between the Biden administration and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which led a coalition of armed opposition groups that ousted Assad from power last Sunday.
At a news conference in Aqaba, Jordan, Blinken would not discuss details of the contacts but said it was important for the U.S. to send messages to the group about its behavior and intentions to govern in a transition period.
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“Yes, we have been in contact with HTS and other parties,” Blinken said. He added: “Our message to the Syrian people is: we want them to succeed and we are ready to help them do so.”
HTS, once an affiliate of al-Qaeda, has been classified as a foreign terrorist organization by the State Department since 2018. This classification carries severe sanctions, including a ban on providing any “material support” to the group or its members. However, the sanctions do not legally prevent U.S. officials from communicating with specific groups.
HTS has worked to establish security and begin a political transition after the capture of Damascus, trying to reassure a public both stunned by Assad’s fall and worried about extremist jihadists among the rebels. Insurgent leaders say the group has broken with its extremist past.
The group’s leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, appeared in a video message on Friday and congratulated “the great Syrian people on the victory of the blessed revolution.”
U.S. officials say Sharaa made welcome comments about protecting minority and women’s rights but remains skeptical about whether he will follow through on them in the long term.
On Friday, Syria’s rebels and unarmed opposition worked to safely hand over an American detained by Assad to U.S. officials.
U.S. officials are continuing their search for Austin Tice, an American journalist who disappeared near Damascus 12 years ago.
“We made it clear to everyone we came into contact with how important it was to help find Austin Tice and bring him home,” Blinken said.
&Copy 2024 The Canadian Press
