US in ‘direct contact’ with jihadists in Damascus – Blinken
The US has been in contact with the Syrian Islamist group HTS, which overthrew Bashar Assad, the US secretary of state has said Read Full Article at RT.com
Opposition groups dominated by Islamists from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham seized power in Syria last week
Washington is maintaining direct contact with the Islamist group that was instrumental in overthrowing the government of President Bashar Assad in Syria, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led a loose coalition of armed groups that captured Damascus on December 8, forcing Assad into exile in Russia.
HTS was founded through a merger of several jihadist groups, including Al-Nusra Front, an offshoot of al-Qaeda in Syria. HTS chief Ahmed al-Shaara, better known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani, previously led Al-Nusra.
HTS is listed as a terrorist organization in the US, which continues to offer a $10 million bounty for help in capturing al-Julani.
Blinken acknowledged the contacts with HTS while giving a press conference in Aqaba, Jordan on Saturday. When asked whether the US has communicated with the group now holding power in Damascus, Blinken replied, “Yes, we’ve been in contact with HTS and with other parties.” He later clarified, “That’s direct contact, yes.”
Blinken reiterated that Washington hopes the new authorities will “produce an inclusive and representative government,” where “the rights of all Syrians – including minorities and women – should be respected.”
He added that all parties should prevent a resurgence of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) and other terrorist groups, describing the American-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) as “playing a critical role in pursuing that mission.”
Al-Julani has made efforts to rebrand his group as a more moderate force, claiming that his views have evolved. During the opposition’s lightning offensive against the government forces, he pledged to protect Syria’s ethnic and religious minorities, including Christians and Kurds. However, multiple videos have since emerged online of various anti-Assad groups executing POWs and civilians.
