Russia in ‘direct contact’ with rebel group and hopes to maintain military bases in Syria, state media says

Russia has established “direct contact” with Syria’s Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) rebel group, according to state media outlet Interfax.

It reported that deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov told journalists that Russia was aiming to maintain its military bases inside Syria.

Mr Bogdanov said contact with HTS was “proceeding in constructive fashion” and that Moscow hoped the group would fulfil its pledges to maintain order and ensure the safety of diplomats and other foreigners within Syria.

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“The bases are still there, where they were on Syrian territory,” he said. “No other decisions have been made for the moment.

“They were there at the Syrians’ request with the aim of fighting terrorists from the Islamic State.

“I am proceeding on the basis of the notion that everyone agrees that the fight against terrorism, and what remains of IS, is not over.”

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Russia has two bases inside the country: a naval base in Tartous and the Khemimim Air Base near the port city of Latakia.

HTS – the most powerful rebel group to emerge after the collapse of Bashar al Assad’s regime – started as the official al Qaeda affiliate in Syria, under the name Nusra Front.

The Sunni Islamist militant faction is viewed as a terrorist organisation by many Western powers.

However, the UK government recently said it could remove HTS from its list of banned terror organisations.

US working on bringing citizen home

It comes after the US said it was working to bring home an American citizen discovered in Syria on Thursday.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking to reporters in Aqaba, said: “We’re working to bring him home, to bring him out of Syria.

“But for privacy reasons, I can’t share any more details about this.”

Travis Timmerman said he was released from prison by “liberators” and told the Associated Press his release was a “blessing”.

His mother, Stacey Collins, told Reuters news agency she had believed her son was dead after he went missing seven months ago.

She said: “I didn’t want to give up. I didn’t want to give up on my son.”

Mr Timmerman, 29, said he had gone to Syria on a Christian pilgrimage and had not been ill-treated while in Palestine Branch – a notorious detention facility run by the Syrian intelligence.

He added he was detained after he crossed into Syria from a mountain along the eastern Lebanese town of Zahle in June.

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Mr Blinken also said that efforts to locate Austin Tice – another US citizen who was abducted in Syria more than a decade ago – were continuing.

Mr Tice, a former US Marine and a freelance journalist, was 31 when he was kidnapped in August 2012 in Damascus.

President Joe Biden said on Sunday the US government believes Mr Tice is still alive.