Maldives lifts travel ban on Syria, drops HTS from terror watchlist

The Maldives has lifted a yearslong ban on travel to Syria, and removed Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) – the armed group that led the 2024 offensive toppling the Assad regime – from its list of foreign terrorist organizations.

The terror watchlist, required under the Counter-Terrorism Act, had been a secretive document maintained by the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) up until 2019. The list is now subject to updates and publicized on an annual basis.

The HTS, which has been on the watchlist since then, has been removed from the list.

The HTS emerged out of the al-Nusra Front, once al-Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, but formally severed those ties in 2016 after HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa declared the group’s independence.

Al-Sharaa, who led the opposition forces that removed longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in a lightning offensive in December 2024, is now Syria’s president.

HTS was dissolved in January 2025, with its forces folded into the official Syrian military and security forces.

The decision to remove HTS’ terror designation follows similar moves last year by other countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom.

Over 100 Maldivians are believed to have traveled to Syria to join armed groups during the civil war, with an estimated 70 believed to have later died in the conflict.

The United Nations estimates that there are more than 50 Maldivian nationals - the widows of fighters and their children – are living in the camps in Syria, without proper access to food, clean water, healthcare and education.

According to Homeland Security Minister Ali Ihusan, over 90 Maldivian nationals - the widows of fighters and their children – have requested for government intervention to allow them to return to the Maldives.

At least six families have been repatriated to the Maldives.

The families were taken to the National Re-integration Center (NRC) in K. Himmafushi, where they undergo assessments, and rehabilitation and deradicalization.

The law dictates that they must stay there, for at least a year, before being reintegrated back into society.