US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Saturday that US officials were in direct contact with the Syrian rebel group that led the ouster of President Bashar Assad’s government but has been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the United States and others.

Blinken is the first US official to publicly confirm contacts between the Biden administration and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, which led the coalition of armed opposition groups that ousted Assad last Sunday.

Speaking at a news conference in Aqaba, Jordan, Blinken declined to discuss the details of the contacts, but said it was important for the US to convey messages to the group about its behavior and how it intends to govern in the transition period.

Get the latest national news

For news that affects Canada and the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you as they happen.

“Yes, we have been in contact with HTS and other parties,” said Blinken. He added that “our message to the Syrian people is this: we want them to succeed and we are ready to help them do it.”

HTS, which was once an al-Qaeda affiliate, has been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the State Department since 2018. That designation carries with it serious sanctions, including a ban on providing any “material support” to the group or its members. However, the sanctions do not legally prohibit US officials from communicating with certain groups.

HTS worked to establish security and initiate a political transition after the capture of Damascus and sought to reassure a public stunned by Assad’s fall and worried about extremist jihadists among the rebels. Rebel leaders say the group has broken with its extremist past.

The group’s leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, appeared on Friday in a video message congratulating “the great Syrian people on the victory of the blessed revolution.”

US officials say Sharaa has made welcome comments about protecting minority rights and women’s rights, but they remain skeptical he will follow through on them in the long term.

On Friday, rebels and the Syrian unarmed opposition were working to safely hand over to US officials an American imprisoned by Assad.

US officials are continuing their search for Austin Tice, an American journalist who disappeared 12 years ago near Damascus.

“We’ve made it clear to everyone we’ve come in contact with how important it is to help find Austin Tice and bring him home,” Blinken said.

© 2024 The Canadian Press