The administration of President Donald Trump removed the terrorist organization status from «Hayat Tahrir al-Sham», writes Reuters. The memorandum dated June 23 was signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
This decision was published a week after Trump signed an order to end US sanctions against Syria to help the country emerge from isolation and fulfill Washington's promise to help it recover from the devastating civil war.
«Hayat Tahrir al-Sham», or HTS, was previously the Syrian branch of «Al-Qaeda». This movement, along with other Islamist rebels, conducted a lightning operation that resulted in the overthrow of former Syrian President Bashar Assad.
HTS of interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa severed ties with «Al-Qaeda» several years ago and declares its aspiration to build a democratic Syria.
Sharaa and Trump met in Riyadh in May, where as a result of a significant policy shift by the new Syrian authorities, Trump unexpectedly announced the lifting of US sanctions on Syria.