US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Saturday that US officials have been in direct contact with the Syrian rebel group that led the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad government but is designated as 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, or HTS, which led a coalition of armed opposition groups that ousted Assad from power last sunday
At a news conference in Aqaba, Jordan, Blinken did not discuss the details of the contacts, but said it was important for the United States to convey messages to the group about its conduct and how it intends to govern in a transition period.
“Yes, we have been in contact with HTS and other parties,” Blinken said. He added that “our message to the Syrian people is this: we want them to succeed and we are ready to help them do it.”
Blinken also said officials are “also communicating directly with those in positions of authority in Syria.”
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
HTS, which was once an al-Qaida affiliate, has been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the State Department since 2018. That designation carries severe penalties, including a ban on providing any “material support” to the group. or its members. The sanctions, however, do not legally prevent US officials from communicating with designated groups.
In an interview Saturday on Syrian television, the group’s leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, did not address any direct contact with the United States, but said the new authorities in Damascusthe capital, are in contact with Western embassies.
HTS has worked to establish security and initiate a political transition after taking Damascus and has sought to reassure a public both stunned by the fall of Assad and worried about extremist jihadis among the rebels. Insurgent leaders say the group has broken with its extremist past.
Al-Sharaa appeared in a video message on Friday congratulating “the great Syrian people on the victory of the blessed revolution.”
US officials say al-Sharaa has been making welcome comments about protecting the rights of minorities and women, but they are skeptical that he will follow them long term.
“We know that what happens inside Syria can have powerful consequences far beyond its borders, from mass displacement to terrorism, and we know that we cannot underestimate the challenges now and in the weeks and months ahead.” , Blinken said Saturday. .
On Friday, Syria’s rebels and unarmed opposition worked to safely hand over to US officials an American man who had been jailed by Assad.
Blinken said U.S. officials are continuing “our own dogged and determined efforts” as they search Austin Ticean American journalist who disappeared 12 years ago near Damascus.
“We’ve impressed upon everyone we’ve been in contact with how important it is to help find Austin Tice and bring him home,” Blinken said.
Travis Timmerman, the American who said he was released from a Syrian prison after Assad was ousted, he was taken out of the country by the US military, CBS News reported earlier this week.