Julani, who fought for Al-Qaeda in Iraq against American soldiers, added that HTS’s designation as a foreign terror organization is inappropriate. HTS has been labeled a terror organization by Washington and London since 2017, when Julani created the group.

At the time, both governments recognized that HTS was merely a rebranding of al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate, al-Nusra.  Following Julani’s triumph, the White House and 10 Downing Street are now considering removing HTS and Julani from the terror lists.

Al-Qaeda Linked Julani Meets With British Diplomats, Discusses Removal From Terror List