8 hours agoAmerican officials in “directly” with HTS group rebels
Periskopi(a year ago)
(a year ago)The United States is in “contact directly” with the rebels of the Tahir al-Sham (HTS) group, which now controls Syria after the collapse of the regime of leader Bashar al-Assad, said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. This is the first time the United States has confirmed contact with this group, which it considers a terrorist organisation. Blinken was [...]
This is the first time the United States has confirmed contact with this group, which it considers a terrorist organisation.
Blinken has told reporters that the US has been in touch to understand the fate of missing journalist Austin Tice.
He has made these statements in Jordan, following talks he has held with representatives of several Arab countries -- Turkey and Europe -- to discuss Syria's future.
Officials have agreed to support a peaceful transition to this state.
Jordan officials themselves have said that regional powers do not want to see chaos.
In a joint communiqué, these countries have called for a sweeping Syrian government that respects minority rights and offers no basis for “terrorist groups”.
Representatives of the HTS group have not been part of the meeting in Jordan.
HTS, the most powerful group of rebels in Syria, was founded under another name, Jabhat al-Nusra, in 2011, and was the branch of Al-Qaeda.
The group is considered among the most effective in fighting the Assad regime.
In addition to the US, the group is also considered terrorist by the United Nations, Turkey and the European Union.
The leader of the group, Ahmed al-Sahara, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolan, has severed ties with Al-Qaeda in 2016. He has recently pledged tolerance for communities and other religious groups.
However, the group's violent past has raised many questions about whether it will be able to fulfill promises.
Assad's brutal regime has collapsed after some 14 years of civil war, resulting in more than 500,000 people being killed and millions moved.
Assad and his family are in Russia, after the asylum that was approved directly by Russian President Vladimir Putin. / REL/
