US will withdraw Syrian Islamist group from terror list

The US will remove the Syrian Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) from its list of foreign terrorist groups, a State Department memo has said, as reported by the BBC on July 7th.

HTS, once known as al-Nusra Front and previously al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria, cut ties with al-Qaeda in 2016 when its leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, broke away. In December, HTS led a successful rebel offensive that overthrew the Assad regime, which had controlled Syria for 54 years. Al-Sharaa now serves as the interim president.

Western governments have begun to re-engage with Syria following years of sanctions targeting the previous regime. US President Trump recently signed an executive order that formally ended US sanctions, with the White House stating the decision would support Syria’s “path to stability and peace”.

Officials added that Washington would track the new government’s actions, particularly its efforts to normalise relations with Israel, address foreign terrorist networks, and prohibit Palestinian terrorists.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani described the shift as a crucial step towards economic recovery and renewed international engagement.

The UK also signalled a major policy change. UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy became the first British cabinet minister to visit Syria in over a decade, according to Al Jazeera on July 5th.

During the visit, he met al-Sharaa and unveiled a £94.5 million support package for long-term recovery and regional support for Syrian refugees. Britain also removed sanctions on Syria’s defence and interior ministries.

Despite al-Sharaa’s promises of reform, concerns persist. He has made nearly all senior appointments himself, naming only one woman to government.

Minority communities have also faced repeated violence, including the killing of hundreds of Alawites in March as reported by the BBC on March 9th, fierce clashes involving Druze fighters in April, as reported by The Guardian, and a June suicide bombing on a Damascus church that left 25 people dead. Most Syrians still live below the poverty line after years of brutal civil conflict.

Maghrebi.org, BBC, The Guardian, Al Jazeera