US Revokes FTO Designation for Al-Qaida Affiliate in Syria
The State Department has revoked the foreign terrorist organization designation of al-Nusrah Front, also known as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, the agency said in a Federal Register notice this week. The move, effective July 8, is in line with President Donald Trump’s mandate to deliver sanctions relief to Syria, the State Department said.
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The agency had designated the group as an FTO in 2018 for being an al-Qaida affiliate in Syria. The Treasury Department earlier this year removed certain sanctions against Syria and Trump authorized U.S. agencies to ease other financial sanctions and export controls against the country (see 2506300055 and 2505230073).
The lifting of the group's terrorist designation "follows the announced dissolution" of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and the Syrian government’s "commitment to combat terrorism in all its forms," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement. "This FTO revocation is an important step in fulfilling President Trump’s vision of a stable, unified, and peaceful Syria."