U.S. officials will travel to Damascus on Friday to hold talks with the country's new leaders. It will be the first group of US diplomats to formally visit Syria in more than a decade, since Washington closed its embassy in Damascus in 2012.
Deputy Secretary of State for Middle Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf, former special envoy for Syria Daniel Rubinstein and the Biden administration's top envoy for hostage negotiations Roger Carstens traveled to talks with Syria's interim leaders, the State Department said early Friday morning.
“They will engage directly with the Syrian people, including members of civil society, activists, diverse community members, and other Syrian voices, about their vision for the future of their country and how the United States can help them,” the state said. The department stated.
The group will emphasize the principles of social inclusion, protection of minorities and rejection of terrorism and chemical weapons, which the Biden administration says will be central to any U.S. support for the new government formed in the wake of the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad earlier this month. Assad fled and received asylum from his patron Russia, ending his family's decades-long rule in Syria.
The American delegation's trip follows contacts with France and Great Britain in recent days.
Golani was once wanted by the US
US President Joe Biden and his top advisers have described Assad's overthrow as a historic opportunity for the Syrian people, who have lived for decades under his oppressive rule, but also warned that the country faces a period of risk and uncertainty.
The rebel group that led the attack on Damascus that forced Assad to flee – Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) – has been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and other countries. The designation came after the Nusra Front, the predecessor of HTS, carried out suicide attacks that killed civilians and espoused a brutal sectarian vision.
Rebel leader Abu Mohammed Al-Golani will play an important role in Syria's future. The National's Ellen Mauro describes how he rose through the ranks of the rebels and how his leadership could impact the country.
While the designation carries a number of sanctions, it does not prohibit U.S. officials from speaking to members or leaders of the organization.
HTS replaced Assad's family rule with a three-month transitional government that ruled a rebel enclave in Syria's northwestern Idlib province.
The State Department said Rubinstein, Leaf and Carstens would meet with HTS officials, but did not say whether the group's leader Ahmad al-Sharaa – better known as Abu Mohammed Al-Golani – would be among those seen.
Seven years ago, the FBI offered a reward of up to $10 million for information on the whereabouts of 42-year-old Golani.
In 2003, he joined the insurgents fighting against American troops in Iraq. Originally from Syria, the Syrian was held by the US military for a time, but was released and eventually made his way back to Syria, founding the Nusra Front before eventually splitting from his previous ties to al-Qaeda and ISIS.
Raw emotions surged as Syrians in Canada gathered in the days after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's oppressive regime to understand what happened and share their hopes for the future.
In recent weeks, Golani has given interviews to Western media; U.S. officials say Golani's public statements about protecting the rights of minorities and women are welcome, but they remain skeptical that he will follow through on them in the long run.
The diplomats' visit to Damascus will not lead to an immediate reopening of the U.S. embassy, which is under the protection of the Czech government, according to U.S. officials, who say decisions on diplomatic recognition will be made once the new Syrian authorities make their intentions clear.
The number of soldiers was more than twice as large as previously known
While the United States has suspended operations of its embassy in Damascus during that country's civil war, there are U.S. troops in small parts of Syria engaged in the fight against the Islamic State militant group.
But the Pentagon revealed Thursday that the United States has doubled its forces in Syria to fight ISIS before Assad's numbers drop to 2,000 troops.
“These additional forces are considered temporary rotational forces that are deployed to meet changing mission requirements while the core group of 900 soldiers are deployed to long-term positions.”
The United States has also significantly stepped up airstrikes against ISIS targets amid fears that a power vacuum would allow the militant group to reconstitute itself.
Washington remains concerned that the extremist group ISIS could use this moment to resurrect itself and wants to avoid any clashes in the country's northeast between Turkish-backed rebel factions and U.S.-allied Kurdish militias.
A priority for US officials will be to obtain information on the whereabouts of missing American journalist Austin Tice and other American citizens who disappeared during the Assad regime.
Tice disappeared at a checkpoint in a disputed area west of Damascus as Syria's civil war escalates. A video released weeks after Tice's disappearance shows him blindfolded, held down by armed men and saying, “Oh Jesus.”
He hasn't been heard from since. Assad's government has publicly denied holding him.