ReutersA press conference by U.S. diplomats in Syria following a meeting with Syria’s new leadership has been canceled due to “security concerns,” the U.S. Embassy said.
A U.S. official did not confirm what their concerns were or whether diplomats had met with the country’s new ruler, Ahmed Sala. They said the briefing would take place virtually later Friday.
Soon after, the U.S. military said it had killed an Islamic State (IS) leader in an airstrike in Syria.
A U.S. delegation arrived in the capital, Damascus, to meet with representatives of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
The visit is the first official U.S. presence in Damascus in more than a decade.
It is a further sign of how dramatic changes are taking place in Syria since Assad was overthrown, and how quickly the United States and Europe (which also rely on Arab states) are trying to influence its emerging governance.
It comes days after visits from the United Nations and other countries including Britain, France and Germany.
The delegation of senior officials includes Assistant Secretary of State Barbara Leaf, U.S. President Joe Biden’s hostage envoy Roger Carstens and Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs senior adviser Daniel Rubinstein.
Getty Images“They will engage directly with the Syrian people, including members of civil society, activists, members of different communities and other Syrian voices, about their vision for the country’s future and how the United States can help support them,” one country said. said in an earlier statement.
The meeting showed preparations to deal with HTS, which the United States still designates as a terrorist organization but is applying pressure to transition to an inclusive, non-sectarian government.
Washington effectively laid out a series of conditions before considering delisting the group, a key step that could help pave the way for the sanctions relief Damascus desperately needs.
Officials are seeking more information to help find American journalist Austin Tice, who was kidnapped in Damascus in 2012.
At the same time, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that “Islamic State” leader Abu Yusef and two of his operatives were killed in an air strike in Deir ez-Zor province in northeastern Syria.
It said in a statement on Friday that the airstrikes were launched on Thursday and were carried out in areas previously controlled by Assad’s regime and Russian forces that support his government.
Gen. Michael Eric Kurila, commander of U.S. Central Command, said the United States would not allow Islamic State to “take advantage of the current situation in Syria to reorganize,” adding that the group intended to release more than 8,000 Islamists imprisoned in Syria. country militants.
