US revoking ‘terrorist’ designation for Syria’s HTS

WASHINGTON: The United States on Monday announced it was revoking its designation as a “foreign terrorist organization” of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group once linked to Al-Qaeda that toppled Syria’s government in December.

“In consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury, I hereby revoke the designation of al-Nusrah Front, also known as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (and other aliases) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization,” said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a memo.

An armed coalition led by HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa overthrew then-Syrian president Bashar al-Assad last year, ending half a century of brutal rule by the latter’s family. Sharaa took over as interim president, a move that has been cautiously welcomed in Washington, Europe and elsewhere, with historic foe Israel seeking to build ties with the new government.

Washington’s move will formally take effect on Tuesday, and comes after US President Donald Trump last week formally dismantled his country’s sanctions against Syria.

Trump had lifted most sanctions against Syria in May, responding to appeals from Saudi Arabia and Turkey to help reintegrate the war-battered country into the global economy.

The United States had already removed a bounty on Sharaa’s head after he came to power.

HTS was earlier known as Al-Nusra Front, and was formerly the branch of Al-Qaeda in Syria, but it broke ties with the jihadist group in 2016 and sought to soften its image.

As of 2017, HTS claimed control of swaths of the province of Idlib, in Syria’s northwest, and went on to develop a civil administration in the area, amid accusations of brutal abuses against those who dared dissent.

In January, after overthrowing Assad’s regime, the new authorities announced the dissolution of all armed factions, with some groups including HTS being integrated into bodies such as the country’s new police force.

On Friday, Syria said it was willing to cooperate with the United States to reimplement a 1974 disengagement agreement with Israel.

The United States and European countries have moved steadily to reengage with Syria since Sharaa took over as interim president, with Britain reestablishing diplomatic ties on Saturday after more than a decade.