Erik Strand, 18.06.2026
In an article on the website Steigan.no, Eva Thomassen uses official, Norwegian sources in order to shed light on Norway’s cooperation with HTS. Eva Thomassen har been a long time critic of Norwegian politics concerning Syria. In this commentary, for example, she discusses Norway’s support for rebel groups within Syria.
Thomassen refers to Stortingsmelding (“Report to the pariliament) 30 (2024/2025) published in June 2025. The document is about how Norway solves conflicts around the world. The report – available at https://www.regjeringen.no/contentassets/5bf6f15145ad4936bdff30dcd90a8d80/no/pdfs/stm202420250030000dddpdfs.pdf – shows among other things that Norway has cooperated with the terror group HTS in Syria and has done so for years. The picture on the top right in Thomassen’s commentary displays Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide in Damaskus in January 2025 together with presidident Jolani.
Abu Muhammad al Julani (Jolani) was the leader of HTS. Jolani has made his living from terror since he participated in Al-Qaida in Iraq in 2003. He was a wanted terrorist. When he was promoted to president in December 2024, he changed his name to Ahmad al-Sharaa. In Stortingsmelding 30, Norwegian authorities explicitly write that Norway has been actively working to influece and “rebrand” the jihadist Jolani. In Stortingsmelding 30, one can read that Norway has had:
– confidential contact with HTS when they controlled Idlib province. HTS was listed as a terrorist organization by the UN and subject to UN sanctions. Due to the sensitivities in Western countries regarding contact with a terrorist organization, Norway and the HD (Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue) stepped in and helped convey the message. The dialogue helped, among other things, to make international humanitarian access in Idlib somewhat easier. It also helped to hold back conservative legislation that HTS was considering introducing in the province.
Overall, there is reason to argue that the dialogue helped cement HTS’ strategic choice of direction away from jihadist ideology and to seek to become a responsible political actor.
When HTS took power in Damascus in December 2024, Norway’s many years of contact with the movement enabled us to quickly be in a position to speak to key figures in the power apparatus and to propose ideas for the way forward towards rebuilding a new and free Syria. The Norwegian dialogue with HTS has since focused on including all of Syria’s social groups in the political process and finding mutually agreed political solutions.
One can note that HD (Centre fro Humanitarian Dielogue) is a think tank that Norwegian MPs in 2026 have expresses concern about the funding of.
While Norway has cooperated with the terror group HTS, one can read in Stortingsmelding 30 that
“Norway also gives high priority to international efforts against terrorism through both national measures and international cooperation. Among other things, Norway implements sanctions against those groups and individuals to whom we are obligated under international law pursuant to resolutions of the UN Security Council, including Resolution 1267 (1999)1, which targets Al-Qaeda, ISIL and affiliated groups, and Resolution 1373 (2001).2 The UN resolutions require all states to criminalize support for terrorism, including denying financial support and sanctuary to terrorists. Norway’s criminal law definition of terrorist acts is based on similar descriptions to those applicable in EU member states.”
Norway’s cooperation with terrorists in Syria should be viewed against a background where among other things US supoert for Syrian “rebels” is clear. Thomassen writes in her commentary:
“Joe Kent, former director of the US National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) under the Trump administration in 2025–2026, says that the US deliberately supported and armed rebel groups in Syria that had links to Al Qaeda (particularly through “moderate rebels” who later turned out to be more extreme). He says that this policy directly contributed to the rise of ISIS (which emerged as a splinter from Al Qaeda in Iraq and grew in the chaos following the Syrian conflict). The goal, according to Kent, was regime change – to overthrow Bashar Al-Assad.”
Fampo 