U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saturday that U.S. officials have been in direct contact with the Syrian rebel group that led the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad’s government but has been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the United States and others.
Blinken is the first US official to publicly confirm the existence of contacts between the Biden administration and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, which led a coalition of armed opposition groups that ousted Assad from power last Sunday.
Speaking at a press conference in Aqaba, Jordan, Blinken did not discuss details of the contacts but said it was important for the United States to convey messages to the group about its behavior and how it intends to govern in a transitional period.
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Blinken said: “Yes, we have been in contact with Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and other parties.” He added, “Our message to the Syrian people is: We want them to succeed and we are ready to help them achieve that.”
Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, formerly an affiliate of al-Qaeda, has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the State Department since 2018. This designation carries with it severe penalties, including a ban on providing any “material support” to the group. or its members. However, the sanctions do not legally prevent US officials from communicating with the designated groups.
Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham worked to establish security and begin a political transition after the takeover of Damascus and tried to reassure a public stunned by Assad’s fall and concerned about radicalized jihadists among the rebels. Rebel leaders say the group has broken away from its extremist past.
The group’s leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Muhammad al-Julani, appeared in a video message on Friday, congratulating “the great Syrian people on the victory of the blessed revolution.”
US officials say Sharaa has been making welcome comments about protecting the rights of minorities and women, but they remain skeptical he will follow through on them in the long term.
On Friday, rebels and unarmed Syrian opposition worked to hand over an American man imprisoned by Assad to American officials.
US officials continue their search for Austin Tice, an American journalist who disappeared 12 years ago near Damascus.
“Everyone we reached out to was impressed by the importance of helping to find Austin Tice and bring him home,” Blinken said.
& Edition 2024 The Canadian Press
