The United States is debating whether to remove its foreign terrorist designation for Hayat Tahrir al Sham, now the de facto ruler of Syria.

HTS is an outgrowth of Al Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria, the Al Nusra Front. Its leader, Abu Mohammad al Julani, is not only the former emir of the Al Nusra Front but also a former lieutenant of ISIS. A key part of Julani’s strategy was to portray HTS as having moderated since its rebranding in 2017 — something the U.S. has consistently rejected. With its conquest of Syria, however, some U.S. officials are floating the possibility of removing its Foreign Terrorist Organization designation.