Washington, United States — 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 took control of Syria 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, with the move to formally take effect on Tuesday.
An armed coalition led by HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa overthrew then-Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in December, ending half a century of brutal rule by the latter’s family.
The former fighter’s rule as interim president has been cautiously welcomed in Washington, Europe and elsewhere, with historic foe Israel seeking to build ties with the new government.
US President Donald Trump last week formally dismantled US sanctions against Syria, saying he hoped to reintegrate the war-battered country into the global economy.
Trump had earlier lifted most sanctions against Syria in May, responding to appeals from Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
The United States had already removed a bounty on Sharaa’s head after he came to power.
On Friday, Syria said it was willing to cooperate with the United States to reimplement a 1974 disengagement agreement with Israel.
The Assad regime was toppled after more than 13 years of civil war by a rebel offensive led by Sharaa.
The rebellion was sparked in 2011 by protests against the Assads’ brutal rule that were part of the Arab Spring movement.
