Despite attempt at makeover, Syria’s HTS remains on US terror list

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has been trying to present itself as a moderate group seeking to have its name removed from the international terrorist list, but these attempts are failing after the United States recently designated it among the "Entities of Particular Concern."
Fighters from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group stand over the body of a Syrian regime soldier before the start of a reported prisoner swap deal in the town of Darret Ezza, about 30 kilometres northwest of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on May 16, 2020. (Photo by AAREF WATAD / AFP) (Photo by AAREF WATAD/AFP via Getty Images)
Fighters from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham stand over the body of a Syrian regime soldier before the start of a reported prisoner swap deal in the town of Darret Ezza, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) northwest of Aleppo, Syria, May 16, 2020. - Aaref Watad/AFP via Getty Images
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Sultan al-Kanj
@AlkanjSultan

IDLIB, Syria — In a Dec. 7 report on international religious freedoms, the United States designated Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) as being among “Entities of Particular Concern” over its abuses of human rights.

In 2018, HTS was designated by the United States as a terrorist organization with the UN Security Council including it as a sanctioned entity linked to the Islamic State, al‑Qaeda, and associated individuals and groups.

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