By Necva Tastan Sevinc
ISTANBUL (AA) - The British government on Tuesday officially removed Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) from its list of proscribed terrorist organizations, citing the move as part of efforts to engage with Syria’s new government following the fall of the Assad regime last year.
An order has been laid in parliament to de-proscribe the HTS, enabling “closer engagement with the new Syrian government” led by President Ahmed Al Sharaa, according to a government statement.
The Home Office said the decision supports a range of UK priorities, including counter-terrorism cooperation, migration management, and the elimination of Syria’s remaining chemical weapons.
The HTS, which was listed as an alias of al-Qaeda in 2017, was one of the most powerful armed groups opposing Bashar al-Assad’s forces during Syria’s civil war.
Its removal from the terrorist list comes amid renewed diplomatic engagement between London and Damascus.
“The UK will continue to press for genuine progress and hold the Syrian government accountable for its actions in fighting terrorism and restoring stability in Syria and the wider region,” the statement read.
“We will continue to judge the new Syrian government on their actions, not on their words.”
The announcement follows former Foreign Secretary David Lammy's visit to Syria in July, which marked the first high-level diplomatic contact between the two countries in over a decade.
The government said de-proscribing the HTS would “support engagement on the counter-Daesh mission in Syria,” helping to reduce threats to the UK.
The UK also welcomed President Sharaa’s pledge to permanently dismantle the Assad regime’s chemical weapons program.
Officials stressed that the decision had been made after “detailed consultation with operational partners and a robust assessment by the cross-government Proscription Review Group.”
“This government will always put the safety and security of the British people first,” the statement said, adding that the UK “reserves the right to reassess proscription decisions in response to any emerging threats.”
Following the order, 83 groups remain on the UK’s list of proscribed organizations under the Terrorism Act 2000.
Earlier this year, the US also removed HTS from its list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations.