عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Britain Has Had 'Diplomatic Contact' with HTS, Announces 50 Million Pounds Syria Aid Package

This aerial picture shows destroyed buildings in the city of Harasta in Eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus on December 15, 2024. (Photo by Sameer Al-DOUMY / AFP)
This aerial picture shows destroyed buildings in the city of Harasta in Eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus on December 15, 2024. (Photo by Sameer Al-DOUMY / AFP)
TT
TT

Britain Has Had 'Diplomatic Contact' with HTS, Announces 50 Million Pounds Syria Aid Package

This aerial picture shows destroyed buildings in the city of Harasta in Eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus on December 15, 2024. (Photo by Sameer Al-DOUMY / AFP)
This aerial picture shows destroyed buildings in the city of Harasta in Eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus on December 15, 2024. (Photo by Sameer Al-DOUMY / AFP)

Britain has had diplomatic contact with the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group that swept Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power last week, British foreign minister David Lammy said on Sunday.

"HTS remains a proscribed organization, but we can have diplomatic contact and so we do have diplomatic contact as you would expect," Lammy told broadcasters.

"Using all the channels that we have available, and those are diplomatic and, of course, intelligence-led channels, we seek to deal with HTS where we have to."

On Saturday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States has had direct contact with HTS.

Also Sunday, Britain announced a 50 million pounds ($63 million) aid package to help vulnerable Syrians.

Millions of Syrians need humanitarian assistance after more than a decade of civil war that shattered much of the country's infrastructure and displaced large numbers of people. Some of the many who fled the country are returning from neighboring states.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Türkiye Says It Believes Kurdish Fighters Will Be Forced Out of All Syrian Territory

Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler takes part in a NATO Defense Ministers' meeting at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium October 12, 2023. (Reuters)
Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler takes part in a NATO Defense Ministers' meeting at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium October 12, 2023. (Reuters)
TT
TT

Türkiye Says It Believes Kurdish Fighters Will Be Forced Out of All Syrian Territory

Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler takes part in a NATO Defense Ministers' meeting at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium October 12, 2023. (Reuters)
Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler takes part in a NATO Defense Ministers' meeting at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium October 12, 2023. (Reuters)

Türkiye believes Syria's new rulers, including the Syrian National Army (SNA) armed group which Ankara backs, will drive Kurdish YPG fighters from all territory they occupy in northeastern Syria, Defense Minister Yasar Guler said on Sunday.

Türkiye regards the Syrian YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants who have fought an insurgency against the Turkish state for 40 years and are deemed terrorists by Ankara, Washington, and the European Union.

The YPG spearheads an alliance, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which is backed by the United States and controls territory in northeastern Syria. Since the fall of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad two weeks ago, Türkiye and Syrian groups it backs have fought against the SDF, seizing the city of Manbij.

"We believe that the new leadership in Syria and the Syrian National Army, which is an important part of its army, along with the Syrian people, will free all territories occupied by terrorist organizations," Guler said during a visit to Turkish troops on the Syrian border with military commanders.

"We will also take every necessary measure with the same determination until all terrorist elements beyond our borders are cleared," he said in a video released by his ministry.

Ankara has demanded the Syrian Kurdish fighters disband, and has called on Washington to withdraw its support. The US military acknowledged last week it has 2,000 troops on the ground in Syria, twice as many as it had said previously.

On Saturday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Türkiye would do "whatever it takes" to ensure its security if Syria's new administration was unable to address its concerns.