US, UK Weigh Removing HTS from Terror List despite Past Al-Qaeda Affiliation

HTS, which emerged as an offshoot of al-Qaeda, has since sought to project a more moderate image.

British Cabinet minister Pat McFadden said the group’s leader, Ahemd al-Sharaa, was “saying some of the right things about the protection of minorities, about respecting people’s rights.”

McFadden added that a decision on changing the designation could come “quite quickly.”

However, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, during a visit to Saudi Arabia, cautioned against moving too fast.

“It is far too early to make that decision,” Starmer said.

In Washington, a Biden administration official acknowledged that HTS would be “an important component” in Syria’s future, stressing that the US needs to “engage with them appropriately.”

Another US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that the administration remains in a “wait and see” position regarding the group’s designation.

Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the State Department, told reporters that terrorist designations are constantly reviewed.

Miller noted that the designation does not prevent US officials from communicating with HTS leaders or members.

Meanwhile, the US also announced that it is sending its special envoy for hostage affairs to Beirut to gather information on the case of Austin Tice, an American journalist who disappeared in Syria 12 years ago.

US President Joe Biden has previously stated that Tice is believed to be alive.