Blinken publicly confirms U.S. officials have been in direct contact with the Syrian rebel group that ousted Assad
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Saturday that U.S. officials have been in direct contact with the Syrian rebel group leading the charge. Overthrow President Bashar Assad government, but is designated a foreign terrorist organization by the United States and other countries.
Blinken is the first U.S. official to publicly confirm contacts between the Biden administration and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which leads a coalition of armed opposition groups. Overthrow Assad from power Last Sunday.
Speaking at a news conference in Aqaba, Jordan, Blinken would not discuss the details of the engagement but said it was important for the United States to send a message to the group about its conduct and how it intends to govern during the transition.
“Yes, we have been in contact with HTS and other parties,” Blinken said. He added, “Our message to the Syrian people is: we want them to succeed and we are ready to help them achieve that goal.”
Blinken also said officials are “still communicating directly with those in power in Syria.”
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
HTS, a former affiliate of Al Qaeda, has been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department since 2018. The designation comes with tough sanctions, including a ban on providing any “material support” to the organization or its members. However, sanctions do not legally prohibit U.S. officials from communicating with designated groups.
In an interview with Syrian television on Saturday, the group’s leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammad Golani, did not mention any direct contact with the United States but said that Syria new authorities damascuscapital, maintaining contact with Western embassies.
HTS works to establish security and begin political transition After taking Damascus and sought to reassure a public that was both shocked by Assad’s fall and concerned about the extremist jihadist elements among the rebels. Rebel leaders say the group has broken with the extremism of its past.
Sala appeared in a video on Friday congratulating “the great Syrian people on the victory of their holy revolution.”
U.S. officials said Salad has made popular statements about protecting the rights of minorities and women, but doubts remain about whether he will follow through on those comments over the long term.
“We know that what happens inside Syria can have serious consequences far beyond its borders, from mass displacement to terrorism, and we also know that we cannot underestimate what is happening now and in the weeks and months ahead,” Blinken said on Saturday. challenge.”
Rebels and unarmed Syrian opposition forces worked Friday to safely hand over an American man imprisoned by Assad to U.S. officials.
Blinken said U.S. officials were continuing “our own tenacious, determined efforts” to find Austin TiceAmerican journalist who disappeared near Damascus 12 years ago.
“We are letting everyone we come into contact know how important it is to help find Austin Tice and bring him home,” Blinken said.
Travis Timmerman, American Who says he was released from Syrian prison Assad was taken out of the country by U.S. troops after his ouster, CBS News reported earlier this week.
