West Asia crisis: US diplomats have 'positive meeting' with new Syrian leader

A delegation of US diplomats, who arrived in Syria on Friday (Dec 20), had a "positive" meeting with the country's new leaderAhmed al-Sharaa, akaAbu Mohammad al-Julani.

Speaking to the news agency AFP, a Syrian official who chose to remain anonymoussaid, "The meeting took place, and it was positive. And the results will be positive, God willing."

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Al-Sharraleads the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group that swept Bashar al-Assad from power earlierthis month, ending the family's 50-year-longiron-fisted rule.

Though the ouster of Asad ended decades of abuses and years of civil war, the formation of Syria's new rulers has raised concerns over minorities and women's rights.

Here's a look at the updates from Syria:

> This was the first formal visit by US officials to Syria since the early days of the civil war that erupted after Assad cracked down on anti-government protests in 2011.

> According to the US State Department, the delegation wouldalso meet with activists, minority groups and civil society representativesin Syria.

> The delegation includes Barbara Leaf, the top State Department official for West Asia, as well as the US point man on hostages, who has been seeking clues on missing Americans including Austin Tice, a journalist who was kidnapped in Syria in August 2012.

> Recently at talks in Jordan- Western, Arab, and Turkish powers jointly called foran "inclusive, non-sectarian and representative government" that respects the rights of all of Syria's diverse communities.

> On Friday, Syrians gathered in Damascusto celebrate the toppling of Bashar al-Assad's regime.Visuals from the news agency Reuters showed a mass celebration in Umayyad Square which was called by the HTS.

Also watch | The West Asia Post: Who will shape Syria's future?

> A day earlier, the Pentagon said that it had 2,000 US troops in Syria, far higher than the previously public number of 900, saying that the additional troops considered temporary forces that had been sent to support the counter-Islamic State's (ISIS) mission.

> The US military said on Friday that it killed an ISIS leader and another of the terrorist organisation's members in a strike in Syria.

>The strike took place Thursday in Deir Ezzor province in eastern Syria, killing IS leader "Abu Yusif" and another operative, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on social media, without providing further details on the two ISIS members.

(With inputs from agencies)