The Biden administration is reportedly considering removing Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) from its foreign terrorist organization list, according to an NBC News report. HTS, a Syrian group previously involved in overthrowing Bashar al-Assad\u2019s regime, is currently designated a terrorist organization by the U.S., UK, UN, and T\u00fcrkiye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The discussions aim to facilitate international engagement with HTS, with one former U.S. official describing it as creating “a pathway for the world to interact with the new government.” While some officials suggested the decision could happen soon, others noted that talks remain in the preliminary stages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby denied active policy discussions but said the U.S. continues to monitor HTS. The State Department emphasized judging the group by actions rather than rhetoric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mostly active in Aleppo and Idlib, Ahrar al-Sham was established in 2011 as government forces cracked down on the Syrian opposition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Abu Mohammad al-Julani, leader of HTS, joined al-Qaeda in Iraq under Abu Musab al-Zarqawi following Saddam\u2019s fall in 2003. He was imprisoned for five years before returning to Syria in 2011 under orders from Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to expand al-Qaeda\u2019s presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2013, the U.S. designated al-Julani a terrorist, citing HTS\u2019s predecessor, Jabhat al-Nusra, for sectarian violence and attacks on civilians.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Biden administration is reportedly considering removing Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) from its foreign terrorist organization list, according to an NBC News report. HTS, a Syrian group previously involved in overthrowing Bashar al-Assad\u2019s regime, is currently designated a terrorist organization by the U.S., UK, UN, and T\u00fcrkiye. The discussions aim to facilitate international engagement with …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":115368,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"yes","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_108372464460192_245495985553329":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[11563,11562,85],"class_list":["post-115367","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-biden-administration","tag-hayat-tahrir-al-sham","tag-isis"],"yoast_head":"\n