The federal government has removed Syria from its list of states that sponsor terrorism, almost a year after the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Syria had been put on the list in 2012 while Assad was still in power. The country was in the midst of a conflict that began in March 2011, killing nearly half a million people and displacing half the country's pre-war population of 23 million.

Syria's new government — headed by former Islamist insurgent leader and now interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa — has been putting effort into reintegrating the country into the international fold.

Ottawa has also removed al-Sharaa's group, the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham — an offshoot and former affiliate of al-Qaeda — from Canada's list of terrorist groups.

"These decisions were not taken l

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