Blinken says US in direct contact with Syrian rebel group after Assad fled

By Anjali Sharma

WASHINGTON – US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Sunday affirmed that the US is committed to find Austin Tice, an American journalist who has been missing in Syria since 2012.

Blinken confirmed that the United States is in direct contact with the Syrian rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham which has gained control of Damascus after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

“We’ve been in contact with HTS and with other parties. We have impressed upon everyone we’ve been in contact with the importance of helping find Austin Tice and bringing him home,” he told reporters in Jordan.

Blinken added “We’ve also shared the principles that I just laid out for our ongoing support – principles, again, that have now been adopted by countries throughout the region and well beyond. And we’ve communicated those.”

He acknowledged reports of Russian withdrawals from Syria, though he refrained from offering specific details beyond media reports.

“I can’t comment on anything beyond what I’ve seen in – reported in the media,” Blinken remarked, directed further inquiries to other administration officials for clarification.

Blinken met Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in Baghdad on Friday to discuss the future of neighbouring Syria.

He arrived in Baghdad after his visit to Turkiye, where he also emphasized the importance of working against a resurgence of ISIL.

Blinken stressed the importance of a “Syria-led” and “Syrian-owned” transition during his meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

According to news media reports Blinken and al-Sudani discussed the need for Syria’s transition from dictatorship to democracy to be inclusive and protective of all minorities.

They discussed “the conviction of so many countries in the region and beyond that as Syria transitions from the Assad dictatorship to hopefully a democracy, it does so in a way that, of course, protects all of the minorities in Syria, that produces an inclusive, nonsectarian government”, Blinken said.

He added that Syria “should not become a platform for terrorism.”

“I think this is a moment as well for Iraq to reinforce its own sovereignty as well as its stability, security and success going forward,” Blinken said.

President Bashar al-Assad fled Syria ending his over two-decade rule in the country after the Syria rebel forces led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Shamb entered Damascus.

The opposition declared Mohammed al-Bashir as the interim Prime Minister.

Al-Bashir prioritized the repatriation of Syrian refugees living abroad as one of his main objectives.

He said that one of his first goals is to “bring back the millions of Syrian refugees who are abroad.”

Mohammed al-Bashir emphasized the need for “stability and calm” in Syria and stated that he is collaborating with officials from Bashar al-Assad’s former regime to restore public services and institutions.