ReutersA news conference scheduled to be held by US diplomats in Syria after a meeting with the country's new leadership was canceled due to “security concerns”, the US embassy said.
Officials did not say what the concerns were, but later confirmed that meetings had been held with representatives of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and instead a briefing would be held practically later on Friday.
A short time later, the US military announced that it had killed an Islamic State (IS) leader in an airstrike in Syria.
The US delegation arrived in the capital Damascus after HTS toppled Bashar al-Assad's regime less than two weeks ago, but which Washington still designates as a terrorist group.
A State Department spokesman confirmed that the diplomats discussed “the principles of the transition” supported by the US, regional developments and the need to fight IS.
Assistant Secretary of State Barbara Leaf also confirmed that Washington was canceling a $10m (£7.9m) reward for the arrest of the country's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.
The spokesman confirmed that officials are also seeking additional information about American citizens who have disappeared under the Assad regime, including a journalist Austin Ticewho was kidnapped in Damascus in 2012, and a psychotherapist Then Kamalmazwhich disappeared in 2017.
The visit is the first official US diplomatic appearance in Damascus in more than a decade.
It is a further sign of the dramatic changes taking place in Syria since the ouster of Assad, and the speed of efforts by the US and Europe, also leaning on Arab countries, to try to influence the new government.
The visit follows delegations in recent days from the UN and other countries, including the UK, France and Germany.
The delegation of senior officials includes Barbara Leaf, Roger Carstens, who is US President Joe Biden's hostage envoy, and Daniel Rubinstein, senior adviser at the Bureau of Near East Affairs.
Getty ImagesThe spokesman also said the delegation engaged with civil society groups and members of various communities in Syria “about their vision for the future of their country and how the United States can help support them.”
The meeting was a show of readiness to deal with HTS, which the US still designates as a terrorist organization but is pressuring it to transition to inclusive, non-sectarian governance.
Washington is effectively setting a set of conditions before considering delisting the group — a critical step that could help smooth the way to the sanctions relief Damascus desperately needs.
Meanwhile, US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that IS leader Abu Yousif and two of his operatives were killed in an airstrike in Deir al-Zour province in northeastern Syria.
A statement on Friday said the airstrike was launched on Thursday in an area previously controlled by the Assad regime and Russian forces supporting his government.
CENTCOM commander Gen. Michael Eric Kurilla said the U.S. would not allow IS “to take advantage of the current situation in Syria and rebuild,” adding that the group intended to release more than 8,000 IS fighters held in Syria.
