Washington lists HTS as terror organization
The US Department of State amended the designation
of al-Nusrah Front – an al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria – to include Hay’at Tahrir
al-Sham (HTS) and other aliases, according to a statement by the department of
the state on Friday.
In January 2017, al-Nusrah Front launched the creation
of HTS as a vehicle to advance its position in the Syrian uprising and to
further its own goals as an al-Qaeda affiliate. Since January 2017, the group
has continued to operate through HTS in pursuit of these objectives, added the
statement.
The Coordinator for Counter-terrorism, Ambassador
Nathan A. Sales, noted that “today’s designation serves notice that the United
States is not fooled by this al-Qaeda 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.”
Terrorism designations expose and isolate
organizations and individuals, and deny them access to the U.S. financial
system.
