In the last week there have been major changes in Syria. It looks like the Assad government has collapsed, and various opposition groups have taken over the country. It is a fluid situation. There are many complexities for a Canadian charity operating in Syria, not the least of which is the risk to staff, volunteers and partners.
In addition, keep in mind that Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is a listed terrorist organization in the US and Canada and elsewhere. It will be interesting to see if they are delisted. Otherwise, Canadian charities that wish to have any operations in Syria need to keep in mind the extensive limitations that will be placed on operating in Syria. You can read more about that here.
Also, the Syrian Arab Republic is on the List of Foreign State Supporters of Terrorism, along with Iran. So a Canadian charity should not take money from either state, without CRA prior approval. Will be interesting to see if that changes as well.
Here is the listing for Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) on the Public Safety Canada’s website:
Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham
Also known as
Jabhat al-Nusra (JN), Jabhet al-Nusra, The Victory Front, Al-Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant, Jabhat Al-Nusra li-Ahl al-Sham min Mujahedi al-Sham fi Sahat al-Jihad (The Support Front for the People of the Levant by the Levantine Mujahedin on the Battlefields of Jihad), the Front for the Defense of the Syrian People and the Front for the Support of the Syrian People, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, Fath al-Sham Front, al-Jabha, Fath al-Sham, Tanzim al-Qaeda fi Bilad al-Sham, Al-Qaeda in the Levant, Conquest for al-Sham Front, Conquest of the Levant Front, Fatah al-Sham Front, Fateh al-Sham Front, Front for the Conquest of Syria, Front for the Conquest of Syria/The Levant, Jabhat Fath al-Sham, Jabhat Fath al Sham, Jabhat Fathah al-Sham, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Tahrir al-Sham Assembly, Liberation of Syria Assembly, Liberation of the Levant Organisation, Liberation of the Levant Committee, Liberation of al-Sham Commission, Assembly for the Liberation of the Levant, Hay’et Tahrir al-Sham, Tahrir al-Sham, Liwa al-Haqq, the Al-Haqq Brigade, Liwa al-Haq, the Brigade of the Right, the Truth Brigade, Lewa’ al-Haq, the al-Haq Battalion, Jabhat Ansar al-Din, Ansar al-Din Front, Supporters/Partisans of the Religion Front, Jaish al-Sunnah, Jaysh al-Sunnah, Jaish al-Sunna, Jaysh al-Sunna.Description
Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is an Islamist group in Syria whose purported primary objectives are overthrowing President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria followed by the creation of an Islamic state under Sharia Law. In July 2016, Jabhat Al-Nursa (JN), an Al Qaida affiliated Sunni militant Islamist group in Syria, changed its name to Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (JFS). Six months later, in January 2017, JFS and four smaller groups issued a statement announcing their dissolution in favour of merging under a single group known as HTS. JN, which is now part of HTS, has claimed responsibility for nearly 600 attacks – such as ambushes, kidnappings, assassinations, Improvised Explosive Device attacks and suicide bombings – in major city centers including Damascus, Aleppo, Hamah, Dara, Homs, Idlib, and Dayr al-Zawr. In March 2017, 2 HTS suicide bombers attacked Damascus, killing at least 74 people, including 8 children. More recently, on December 21, 2019, HTS claimed killing 30 Syrian regime troops in a suicide bombing in Raffa, a town in the southeast of Idlib governorate.Date listed
2013-11-07Date reviewed
2020-11-25