US officials have been in direct contact with the Syrian rebel group that ousted Assad, Blinken says

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed American officials have been in direct contact with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a Syrian rebel group that ousted President Bashar Assad and is designated a foreign terrorist organization. Blinken emphasized the importance of conveying messages to HTS regarding their conduct and governance plans in a transition period. Despite HTS being designated as a terrorist organization since 2018, U.S. officials have engaged in communication with the group, while efforts continue to locate American journalist Austin Tice who disappeared near Damascus 12 years ago.

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