U.S. drops bounty for HTS leader amid diplomatic shifts
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Barbara Leaf reported on Friday after a meeting with Syria's new de facto leader that we informed Ahmed al-Shara that we would no longer offer a reward for his capture. In 2017, a reward of 10 million dollars (approximately 7.5 million pounds) was set for information about the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
Following talks with Ahmed al-Shara, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Barbara Leaf announced that the United States would no longer offer a reward for his capture. Leaf described the conversation as constructive. Al-Shara, previously known as Abu Muhammad al-Julani, pledged to ensure that "terrorist groups will not pose a threat within Syria or beyond."
Based on our discussion, I told him that we would not be pursuing the Rewards for Justice reward offered, stated Leaf.
Leaf humorously pointed out that having an extensive and detailed discussion with the leader of HTS about various U.S., Syrian, and regional interests seems contradictory when there’s a bounty on his head. In that case, he remarked, it might make more sense to call the FBI to arrest him.
According to Leaf, the conversation with Syria's new leader was "good and detailed," and al-Shara seems pragmatically inclined and motivated to rebuild the country's economy.
Leaf did not declare the lifting of sanctions on HTS and Syria but expressed optimism that the new authorities would pursue the country's unity, a condition for lifting sanctions. She also announced further diplomatic contacts with the new government in Damascus.
The situation of Syrian Kurds and the search for a journalist
The diplomat also addressed the situation of Syrian Kurds, whose militia, the SDF, is a U.S. partner in fighting the Islamic State but opposed by militias supported by Turkey.
Leaf expressed the desire to de-escalate tensions but noted that with the change of government in Syria, the conditions that forced the Kurds to self-organise and govern their own territory in the north of the country have changed.
Leaf expressed hope for talks between the SDF and the new authorities so that the Kurds could be part of a new Syria. Accompanying Leaf, the special envoy for hostage affairs, Roger Carstens, stated that the talks also addressed the fate of journalist Austin Tice, captured by the Bashar al-Assad regime.
Carstens said that the search for Tice is ongoing but extremely complicated due to the vastness and number of secret prisons of the overthrown regime throughout the country, which are more than expected. Friday's U.S. delegation visit was the U.S.'s first diplomatic visit to Syria since 2012.
10 million dollars for the leader's capture
Let us recall that just two days ago, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller assured that the 10 million dollars (approximately 7.5 million pounds) reward the U.S. offered for information about the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Muhammad al-Julani, is still in effect. The reward was set in 2017.
The fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime created a power vacuum in Syria, attracting the attention of international powers. Russia and Iran, Assad's former allies, lost their influence, and the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, led by Abu Muhammad al-Julani, took key regions. The new authorities face the challenge of managing resource-rich areas and resolving political tensions.
