American diplomats cancel a press conference in Damascus due to security concerns

The US embassy said a press conference US diplomats were scheduled to hold in Syria after a meeting with the country’s new leadership has been canceled due to “security concerns.”

Officials did not say what the concerns were, but later confirmed that meetings had been held with representatives of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and a virtual briefing would be held later on Friday.

Shortly after, the US military announced that it had killed an ISIS leader in an air strike in Syria.

The American delegation arrived in the capital, Damascus, after Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham overthrew Bashar al-Assad’s regime less than two weeks ago, but Washington still classifies it as a terrorist group.

A State Department spokesperson confirmed that the diplomats discussed the “transitional principles” supported by the United States, regional events, and the need to fight ISIS.

Assistant Secretary of State Barbara Leaf also confirmed that Washington had canceled a $10 million (£7.9 million) reward for the capture of the country’s de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa.

The spokesman confirmed that officials are also seeking more information about American citizens who disappeared under the Assad regime, including journalists Austin TiceWho was kidnapped in Damascus in 2012, and is a psychotherapist Then KamalmazWho disappeared in 2017.

This visit is the first official US diplomatic appearance in Damascus in more than a decade.

It is another sign of the dramatic transformations underway in Syria since Assad’s ouster, and the speed of efforts by the United States and Europe, which also rely on Arab countries, to try to influence its emerging rule.

The visit follows visits by delegations from the United Nations and other countries in recent days, including the United Kingdom, France and Germany.

A delegation of senior officials These include Barbara Liff, Roger Carstens, US President Joe Biden’s envoy for hostages, and Daniel Rubinstein, a senior adviser in the Office of Near Eastern Affairs.

The spokesman also said that the delegation spoke with civil society groups and members of various communities in Syria “about their vision for their country’s future and how the United States can help support them.”

The meeting was a show of willingness to deal with Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, which the United States still classifies as a terrorist organization but is pressuring to transition to an inclusive, non-sectarian government.

Washington is effectively setting a set of conditions before it considers removing the group from the list, a crucial step that could help ease the path toward sanctions relief that Damascus so desperately needs.

Meanwhile, US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed the killing of ISIS leader Abu Yusef and two of his members in an air strike in Deir ez-Zor Governorate in northeastern Syria.

It said in a statement on Friday that the air strike was launched on Thursday and was carried out in an area previously under the control of the Assad regime and Russian forces supporting its government.

The United States will not allow ISIS to “exploit the current situation in Syria and regroup its ranks,” said US Central Command Commander General Michael Eric Kurella, adding that the group intends to release more than 8,000 ISIS fighters detained in Syria.