US in ‘direct contact’ with jihadists in Damascus – Blinken

The opposition groups dominated by Islamists from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham have seized power in Syria last week

Washington is maintaining direct contact with the al-Qaeda-linked Islamist group that was instrumental in overthrowing the government of President Bashar Assad in Syria, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said. 

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led a loose coalition of armed opposition groups that captured Damascus on December 8, forcing Assad into exile in Russia.