US diplomats arrive in Syria to talk to Islamist rulers about country’s future

US envoys have arrived in Syria to speak directly to the new Islamist-led rulers, the State Department said on Friday, in the most formal US diplomatic mission since the start of the long civil war.

The State Department’s top Middle East diplomat Barbara Leaf, Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens and newly appointed Senior Adviser Daniel Rubinstein, who is now tasked with leading the Department’s Syria engagement, are the first US diplomats to travel to Damascus since Syria’s opposition militias overthrew oppressive president Bashar al-Assad.

The diplomats will meet representatives of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) — designated a terrorist group by Washington — and civil society to discuss with Syrians “their vision for the future of their country and how the United States can help support them,” a State Department spokesperson said.

The visit comes as Western governments are gradually opening channels to HTS and its leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, and start debating whether or not to remove the terrorist designation on the group. The US delegation’s travel follows contacts with France and Britain in recent days.

In their meetings, the US officials will discuss with HTS representatives a set of principles such as inclusivity and respect for the rights of minorities that Washington wants included in Syria’s political transition, the spokesperson said.

The delegation will also work to obtain new information about US journalist Austin Tice, who was taken captive during a reporting trip to Syria in August 2012, and other American citizens who went missing during the Assad regime.

“They will be engaging directly with the Syrian people, including members of civil society, activists, members of different communities, and other Syrian voices about their vision for the future of their country and how the United States can help support them,” the department spokesperson said.

“They also plan to meet with representatives of HTS to discuss transition principles endorsed by the United States and regional partners in Aqaba, Jordan,” the spokesperson said.

The United States cut diplomatic ties with Syria and shut down its embassy in Damascus in 2012.

In a seismic moment for the Middle East, Syrian rebels seized control of Damascus on December 8, forcing Assad to flee after more than 13 years of civil war, ending his family’s decades-long rule.

The lightning offensive raised questions over whether the rebels would be able to ensure an orderly transition.

Forces under the command of al-Sharaa – better known as Abu Mohammed al-Julani – replaced the Assad family rule with a three-month transitional government that had been ruling a rebel enclave in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib.

Washington in 2013 designated al-Sharaa a terrorist, saying al Qaeda in Iraq had tasked him with overthrowing Assad’s rule and establishing Islamic sharia law in Syria. It said the Nusra Front, the predecessor of HTS, carried out suicide attacks that killed civilians and espoused a violent sectarian vision.

President Joe Biden and his top aides described the overthrow of Assad as a historic opportunity for the Syrian people who have for decades lived under his oppressive rule, but also warned the country faced a period of risk and uncertainty.

Washington remains concerned that extremist group ISIS could seize the moment to resurrect and also wants to avoid any clashes in the country’s northeast between Turkey-backed rebel factions and US-allied Kurdish militia.

US doubles troop deployment to Syria

The United States has more than doubled the number of its forces in Syria to fight the Islamic State group — a dramatic increase that the Pentagon revealed Thursday, acknowledging that the added troops have been there for months or even more than a year.

The US had said for years that there were about 900 troops in Syria, but Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, acknowledged there were roughly 2,000 there now.

The Pentagon was asked repeatedly about the US presence in Syria in the wake of the chaotic overthrow of Assad. It did not disclose the increase and instead kept repeating the 900 figure.

Speaking at a Pentagon press conference, Ryder said the additional forces had been in Syria “at a minimum months — it’s been going on for a while.” He said he only just learned the new number and that the increase was not related to the ouster of Assad or any hike in attacks either by or against IS.

Pentagon officials said they were working to nail down the timing of the increase and what exactly the additional forces were doing.

Ryder blamed the secrecy on “diplomatic considerations” and sensitivities but declined to be more specific. There has long been friction between the US and Syria’s neighbors — Turkey and Iraq — about the ongoing presence of American forces in Syria and the need to keep them at a particular level.

Ryder said he is “not tracking” any additional adjustments to the force numbers in the future. That could change, however, as President-elect Donald Trump has said he does not support US forces getting more involved in Syria.

Ryder told reporters the increase in forces was temporary and they are there to augment US operations against the Islamic State group. He said US Army conventional and special operations forces make up the bulk of the additional troops.

The “temporary” description, however, belies the fact that troops have been rotating in and out of Syria for nearly a decade, and for much of the last year, or possibly two, the number has consistently been higher than the 900 officials repeatedly insisted were there.

There have always been an undisclosed number of U.S. special operations forces deploying into Syria for short periods of time, but that would not account for the extra 1,100 forces.

Asked whether Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin knew the total was that high, Ryder said, “I’m confident that the secretary is tracking US forces deployed around the world.” When pressed on whether Austin directed his staff to keep the higher number secret, Ryder said no. He also said that Austin has not talked to Gen. Erik Kurilla, the top US general for the Middle East, about the matter.

Since Assad’s overthrow, Israel and Turkey have both launched military operations inside Syria’s borders, including Israeli airstrikes against weapons facilities in the east that belonged to Assad’s regime and Turkey’s offensive in the northeast against Kurdish forces, who have partnered with the US in its fight against the Islamic State.

The US also has significantly stepped up airstrikes against IS targets in Syria over concern that a power vacuum would allow the militant group to reconstitute itself.

Until Thursday, the Pentagon had insisted there had been no change to the US force numbers in Syria, even as questions arose as to whether the new instability there has put the US mission in jeopardy. Ryder said the troop increase was long in place before the government overthrow and any uptick in airstrikes.

Trump tried to withdraw forces from Syria during his first term, which drove former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to resign in protest. Trump’s decision also triggered a broad backlash on Capitol Hill and from stunned allies. He was convinced to leave US forces in the country to help protect the critical oil fields.