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| The United Nations headquarters building is pictured though a window with the UN logo in the foreground in the Manhattan borough of New York August 15, 2014. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/File |
sukabumiNews.net, NEW YORK – United Nations sanctions monitors have observed no “active ties” this year between Al Qaeda and the Syrian resistance group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), according to an unpublished UN report.
As reported by
Reuters (July 11, 2025), this finding could strengthen US pressure to lift UN
sanctions on Syria.
HTS was once Al
Qaeda’s Syrian branch but severed ties in 2016. The group, formerly known as
Jabhat al-Nusra Front, fought to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad after
being sent by the leader of the Islamic State (ISIS) militant group, Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi, from Iraq.
The report comes as
diplomats expect the United States to seek the lifting of UN sanctions on HTS
and al-Sham, which has expressed a desire to build an inclusive and democratic
Syria.
“Many individuals at
the tactical level hold more extreme views than… Sharaa and Interior Minister
Anas Khattab, who are generally considered more pragmatic than ideological,”
the UN report said.
The report covers the
six-month period ending June 22 and relies on contributions and assessments
from UN member states.
The UN monitors wrote
in their report to the Security Council: “Several member states expressed
concern that some HTS members and allied members, particularly those holding
tactical roles or integrated into the new Syrian army, remain ideologically
aligned with Al Qaeda.”
Trump Announces Major US Policy Shift in May
US President Donald
Trump announced a major US policy shift in May when he announced he would lift
US sanctions on Syria. He signed an executive order making this happen in late
June, and Washington revoked HTS’s designation as a foreign terrorist
organization this week.
The US said at the
time that the revocation of the designation was a step toward Trump’s vision of
a peaceful and united Syria.
The US is “reviewing
the remaining terrorist designations related to HTS and Syria and its placement
on the UN sanctions list,” a State Department spokesperson told Reuters.
Diplomats, humanitarian
organizations, and regional analysts say that lifting sanctions would help
rebuild Syria's shattered economy, move the country away from authoritarianism,
and reduce the appeal of radical groups.
Trump and his
advisers argue that the move would also benefit US interests by opening
opportunities for American businesses, countering Iranian and Russian
influence, and potentially limiting calls for US military involvement in the
region.
However, Washington
faces diplomatic obstacles in gaining Security Council support for the
sanctions relief.
US Needs Russian Support for Any Relief from Syria Sanctions at the UN
The US would also
need support from Russia—an Assad ally—and China for any relief from Syria
sanctions at the UN, diplomats say.
Both are particularly
concerned about foreign nationals who joined HTS during the 13-year war between
the rebel group and Assad. UN experts say there are estimated to be more than
5,000 foreign fighters in Syria.
The status of foreign
fighters has become one of the most thorny issues hindering Syria's
rapprochement with the West. However, the US has given its blessing to the new
Syrian leaders' plan to integrate foreign fighters into the military.
"China is deeply
concerned about this development. The Syrian interim authorities must earnestly
fulfill their counterterrorism obligations," Chinese Ambassador to the UN,
Fu Cong, told the Security Council last month.
He said Syria must
combat terrorist organizations, including the “East Turkistan Islamic Movement,
also known as the Turkistan Islamic Party.” Uighur fighters from China and
Central Asia are members of the Turkistan Islamic Party. Human rights groups
accuse Beijing of widespread human rights violations against the mostly Muslim
ethnic minority.
Russian Ambassador to
the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, told the Security Council last month that it was
crucial that “the Syrian army and police be staffed exclusively by professional
personnel with a clean track record,” a reference apparently to irregular
fighters such as militants.
UN monitors said some
foreign fighters were resisting moves to integrate them into the military.
“Defections are
occurring among those who see Sharaa as hopeless, increasing the risk of
internal conflict and making Shara a potential target,” the UN experts said.