US president Donald Trump’s administration has revoked the foreign terrorist organisation designation for Al-Nusrah Front, also known as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), according to a state department memo filed on Monday, a major step as Washington moves to ease sanctions on Syria.
The June 23rd-dated memo was signed by US secretary of state Marco Rubio and was published in a preview of the federal register before official publication on Tuesday.
The move comes a week after Mr Trump signed an executive order terminating a US sanctions programme on Syria, to help end the country’s isolation from the international financial system and building on Washington’s pledge to help it rebuild after a devastating civil war.
“In consultation with the attorney general and the secretary of the treasury, I hereby revoke the designation of Al-Nusrah Front, also known as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (and other aliases) as a foreign terrorist organization,” Mr Rubio wrote in the memo.
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Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham was previously al-Qaeda’s Syria branch, or Nusra Front. In December, Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa led the HTS, which, together with other Islamist rebels, conducted a lightning offensive that ousted Syria’s former president Bashar al-Assad.
HTS severed al-Qaeda ties years ago and says it wants to build an inclusive and democratic Syria.
Syria’s foreign ministry had no immediate comment.
Mr Sharaa and Mr Trump met in Riyadh in May where, in a major policy shift, Mr Trump unexpectedly announced he would lift US sanctions on Syria, prompting Washington to significantly ease its measures. – Reuters
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