The State Department has removed from its list of foreign terrorist organizations al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria, Jabhat al-Nusra.
It is also known as al-Nusra Front and Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the move in a June 23 memo published in the Federal Register on July 7.
“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 pursuant to section 219 (a)(6)(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189(a)(6)(A)),” he wrote.
The move will take effect on July 8, according to the memo.
“Tomorrow’s action follows the announced dissolution of HTS and the Syrian government’s commitment to combat terrorism in all its forms,” Rubio said in a statement.
“This FTO revocation is an important step in fulfilling President [Donald] Trump’s vision of a stable, unified, and peaceful Syria.”
The delisting comes as the Trump administration has lifted sanctions on Syria following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad by HTS. The current leader of Syria, Ahmad al-Sharaa, was a member of HTS. Trump met with Sharaa on May 14.
“So, I say: ‘Good luck, Syria. Show us something very special,’” Trump said.
The Biden administration removed a $10 million bounty on Sharaa following Assad’s removal from power.
The United States had designated HTS as a terrorist organization in May 2018.
Nathan Sales, who led the State Department’s counterterrorism efforts at the time, said: “[The] designation serves notice that the United States is not fooled by this al-Qa’ida affiliate’s attempt to rebrand itself. Whatever name Nusrah chooses, we will continue to deny it the resources it seeks to further its violent cause.”
Trump signed an executive order on June 30 to lift the sanctions.
“This is in an effort to promote and support the country’s path to stability and peace,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said prior to the signing.
“He’s committed to supporting a Syria that is stable, unified, and at peace with itself and its neighbors.”
Trump announced during a trip to Saudi Arabia on May 13 that the United States would lift sanctions on Syria in order to give the new leadership a chance at rebuilding and peace “to give them a chance at greatness.”
Sanctions have remained in place for Assad and “his associates, human rights abusers, drug traffickers, persons liked to chemical weapons activities, ISIS and their affiliates, and Iranian proxies,” Leavitt said on June 30.
An administration official told reporters during a call last month that the relaxation of sanctions on Syria gives the country the “ability for them to have their own initiative, their own mandate, their own architecture of how they move forward.”
