Biden to defer decision on keeping Syria’s HTS on terrorism list to Trump: Officials
Outgoing American President Joe Biden will defer to incoming Donald Trump the decision on whether to continue keeping the leader of Syria's ruling Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militant group on the list of foreign terrorist organizations, a report says.
Foreign-backed militants, led by HTS, took control of Damascus on December 8 and declared an end to Bashar al-Assad’s rule in a surprise offensive that was launched from their stronghold in northwestern Syria, reaching the capital in less than two weeks.
Although the United States has already removed the long-standing $10 million bounty on the HTS leader, Abu Mohammad al-Julani, following a high-level US delegation meeting with him, his group is still on the US’s list of foreign terrorist organizations.
Citing three unnamed US officials familiar with the matter, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday that the Biden administration would keep HTS rulers, including al-Julani, on the terror list, until the end of his tenure, leaving the final decision to the incoming Trump administration.
Sources also emphasized that the HTS militant group must fully sever ties with terrorist organizations, particularly al-Qaeda to have its terrorist designation lifted—a label that significantly impedes Syria's economic recovery.
This is while the US Treasury, earlier this week, issued a sanction exemption for transactions with the ruling HTS administration in the Arab country for six months, as part of efforts purportedly seeking to ease the flow of humanitarian assistance following the downfall of Assad’s government.
The exemption, known as a general license, also allows some energy transactions and personal remittances to Syria until July 7. The action, however, did not lift any sanctions against the Arab nation, whose situation remains very fluid and fragile, amid the ongoing political instability.
The US, Britain, the European Union and other Western governments imposed tough sanctions on Syria at the height of the foreign-sponsored militancy against the country in 2011.
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