Research details

US Terrorist Listings on HTS and How They Relate to UN Designations
Date 2025-03-12
US Terrorist Listings on HTS and How They Relate to UN Designations
Category

Mix

Date

2025-03-12

Views

27

The United States uses two primary mechanisms to designate terrorist groups and individuals: the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) designation and the Specifically Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) designation, each with distinct legal and financial implications. Ahmad al-Sharaa (formerly Abu Mohammad al-Jolani), Syria’s Interim President and de facto leader, is sanctioned under the SDGT designation alone, while his group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is designated as both an FTO and an SDGT. In addition to US sanctions, al-Sharaa and HTS are listed under the UN ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaeda sanctions framework (known as a “regime”). The US implements UN sanctions through Executive Orders and Acts of Congress, but does not automatically lift sanctions when the UN removes individuals or groups from its lists.

To read the full study, click here.