The UK government will make a quick decision on whether to lift the ban on the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) after overthrowing the president Bashar Assadregime, Labour’s Pat McFadden said.
HTS is banned in the UK due to its past links with Al Qaeda, the terrorist organization once led by Osama bin Laden.
Speaking to Mishal Husain on BBC Radio 4 on Monday (December 9), the cabinet minister said “The situation is very fluid” but hoped that if there was a need for talks with HTS, “it should be relatively quick decision”.
It came after a coalition of rebel groups captured Damascus on Sunday and the former president fled to Russia, one of his main allies.