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Syria updates: Rebel leader vows to pursue Assad officials ‘involved in war crimes’

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Syria updates: Rebel leader vows to pursue Assad officials ‘involved in war crimes’

The Biden administration is exploring removing the foreign terrorist designation for HTS, the most powerful of the rebel groups that unseated Assad, two current administration officials and a former senior U.S. official told NBC News today.

The aim of the discussions is to “create a pathway for the world to interact with the new government,” the former official said. While two officials said the administration is looking to lift the designation “soon,” another said the discussions were still in the early stages.

Removing the terrorist designation for HTS, which has historic links to Al Qaeda, would include taking the $10 million bounty off Jolani, the officials said.

National security adviser John Kirby said today that there were “no discussions right now about changing the policy with respect to HTS, but we are watching what they do.”

The administration wants to see how HTS rule plays out over the next few weeks. It is actively exploring options, though, and looking at what legal work needs to be done to delist it. 

In recent years, Jolani has tried to distance himself from his Al Qaeda connections and emphasize HTS’ more inclusive stance on women and minorities.

In a recent CNN interview, he said that if his forces were successful, “Syria would transition into a state of governance, institutions.” 

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