US Secretary of State Blinken acknowledges contact with Syria’s HTS rebels
Al Jazeera
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, has been designated a ‘foreign terrorist organisation’ in the US since 2018, under Donald Trump’s first term.
The administration of President Joe Biden has acknowledged contact with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Syrian opposition group that led the recent lightning offensive that toppled longtime leader Bashar al-Assad.
Saturday’s statement, delivered by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, was the first time the Biden administration has publicly confirmed talks with the group.
Such talks are sensitive. HTS has been designated as a “foreign terrorist organisation” in the US since 2018, and the US largely avoids negotiations with such groups.
In a news conference from Aqaba, Jordan, Blinken placed his discussions with HTS in the context of broader US goals for the future of Syria.
“Yes, we have been in contact with HTS and with other parties,” Blinken said in response to a question from reporters.
