US in direct contact with Islamist rebels who took over Syria

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The United States is in direct contact with the Islamist movement that led the offensive to topple Bashar al-Assad, despite being designated a terrorist organization, as Western and regional powers seek a peaceful transition in Syria.

On Saturday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken became the first US official to admit that Washington had been in contact with Damascus-held Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

After meeting regional partners in Jordan, he said the US and its allies had agreed on “common principles” to guide their support for Syria, including a Syrian-led political transition that is “inclusive and representative” and respects all minorities.

Blinken said that the principles were “communicated” to the new leaders of the country.

“As we see Syria moving in that direction and taking these steps in a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned process, we will in turn look at the various sanctions and other measures that we have taken and respond in kind,” he said. .

The US, UN and EU consider HTS, a former al-Qaeda affiliate, a terrorist organization.

Group leader Abu Mohammed Jolani declared a terrorist a decade ago and with a $10 million bounty on his head, Jolani renounced his ties to al-Qaeda in 2016 and tried to brand himself as a more moderate Islamist leader.

The US and other Western powers also have sanctions on the Syrian state, which has collapsed after more than 13 years of civil war and decades of Assad’s corrupt, repressive rule.

Western countries and other countries in the region are scrambling to respond to the rapidly unfolding events in Syria after HTS led a blitzkrieg that ended the Assad family’s five-decade dynastic rule in the war-torn Arab country in less than two weeks.

After advancing on Damascus last weekend with other rebel groups, HTS appointed an interim prime minister to lead an interim government until March.It has repeatedly pledged to protect minorities.

The ouster of Assad, who has fled to Russia, has sparked scenes of jubilation across Syria, but also uncertainty about what will happen next.

Blinken said the US appreciates “some of the positive words we’ve heard in recent days, but what really matters is action and sustained action.”

“This can’t be a one-day decision or event. It really has to be sustained over time,” Blinken said.

The challenges facing Syria are immense as the country has been devastated by years of war and dictatorship, the economy is in a state of collapse, and the civil conflict has forced millions of people from their homes and left many more in desperate need of humanitarian aid.

It is also a nation with a diverse mix of religions and sects and many armed factions.

Blinken said there were shortages of fuel and wheat, adding that the US and its partners would focus on “near-term needs”.

Under Assad, Syria depended on Iran for the vast majority of its oil imports, but Tehran pulled thousands of Iranians out of the country as the rebels advanced on Damascus.

He imported wheat from Russia, which also supported Assad during the conflict that erupted after the regime brutally suppressed a 2011 popular uprising.

The US has about 900 troops in Syria, where they are supporting the fight against IS and supporting Kurdish-led militias in their fight against the jihadist group.

Turkey considers the Kurdish militants to be the continuation of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been fighting against the Turkish state for four decades.

Ankara supports Syrian rebel groups that have coordinated with the HT in an offensive against Assad, but have also fought with Kurdish militias.

Blinken said the transition in Syria is “a moment of vulnerability in which IS will seek to regroup.”