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UK Moves to Remove HTS From Terror List to Engage Syria’s New Government

Ministers say the step will bolster counter-Daesh cooperation following a cross-government review.

Overview

  • An order has been laid in Parliament to deproscribe Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, with Terrorism Act offences tied to HTS to fall away once the process completes.
  • The government says the change enables closer dealings with the Syrian administration led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, including work on migration and destruction of Assad-era chemical weapons.
  • Officials frame the move as supporting the counter-Daesh mission in Syria and reducing the threat to the UK.
  • The decision followed detailed consultations with operational partners and an assessment by the cross-government Proscription Review Group.
  • The shift aligns with a US removal earlier this year, and the UK says 83 organisations will remain proscribed and HTS could be re-listed if new threats emerge.