US maintains $10m (£8m) bounty on Al‑Jolani amidst Turkey tensions

The US State Department has confirmed that the $10 million (£8 million) reward for information about the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Muhammad al-Jolani, remains active.

Spokesman Matthew Miller highlighted that due to Jolani's frequent public appearances, the US administration does not require information on his location. He also humorously noted that he does not expect any US officials to claim the reward.

The reward was initially announced in 2017 and pertains to the leader of the most influential rebel group that opposed Bashar al-Assad's Syrian government. HTS, classified by the US as a terrorist organization, was established from the merger of the al-Nusra Front and other Islamist factions. Under Jolani's leadership, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda has carried out numerous terrorist acts, including the massacre of 20 residents in a Druze village in the Idlib province.

During the briefing, Miller also discussed the possibility of a Turkish offensive against the Kurds in Syria. According to the "Wall Street Journal," the US is apprehensive about the troop buildup at the Syrian border and Turkey's intended attack on territories held by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Miller indicated that the US is engaged in delicate discussions with Turkey, aiming to prolong the ceasefire in the city of Manbij.

"We don't want to see any party take advantage of the current unstable situation to advance their own narrow interests at the expense of the broader Syrian national interest," said Miller. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that Turkey has "legitimate concerns" in combating terrorism, identifying the SDF as the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is also regarded by the US as a terrorist organization.