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U.S. Writer Sarah Adams Criticizes Removal of Syria’s State Sponsor of Terrorism Designation: “Al-Jolani Sent Foreign Fighters to U.S. Soil”
American writer and researcher Sarah Adams criticized the United States’ decision to remove Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, saying the move raises questions about the criteria Washington used to assess the commitments of Syria’s new government.
In a comment on the decision, Adams said that Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, “sent foreign fighters to U.S. soil and was not even required to disclose their identities in order for the designation to be removed,” according to a post she published.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Monday that the United States had officially removed Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, following the expiration of the 45-day congressional notification period. Washington said the move would remove one of the main obstacles to private-sector investment, support economic recovery, and help reintegrate Syria into the global economy.
In a statement, Rubio also announced that Washington had removed Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) from its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT), following the removal of the designation of Jabhat al-Nusra—also known as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham—as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in July 2025.
The U.S. Department of State justified the two decisions by citing what it described as the “positive actions and commitments” made by the Syrian government under Ahmed al-Sharaa to fully distance itself from acts of international terrorism.
Rubio added that Damascus had taken several counterterrorism steps over the past year, including formally joining the international coalition against ISIS in November 2025 and conducting operations aimed at disrupting networks affiliated with ISIS, al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, and Iran-aligned groups.
### Damascus Welcomes the Decision
The Syrian government described the U.S. decision as a “historic event.” Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said that removing Syria from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, after 47 years of designation, represented “a reflection of the new Syrian state’s commitment to international security and peace.”
Al-Shaibani added that the decision would pave the way for stronger cooperation and partnership between Damascus and Washington, as well as greater engagement with countries around the world, particularly in the economic and investment sectors.
The United States placed Syria on its list of state sponsors of terrorism in December 1979. The designation led to broad restrictions on foreign assistance, arms exports, and dual-use goods, in addition to other financial and economic sanctions.
The removal of the designation comes as part of a series of steps taken by the U.S. administration in recent months to ease restrictions on Syria. These measures include ending the state of emergency related to Syria and revoking several executive orders that formed the legal basis for the sanctions program, as well as steps to facilitate the export of certain civilian goods and technologies.
Despite the Syrian government’s official welcome, the decision has drawn criticism from some American figures and writers, including Sarah Adams, who questioned whether the guarantees provided by Damascus were sufficient and called for clarification of the criteria Washington used to remove the designation and delist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham.
