US Drops $10m Reward for Arrest of Syria’s New Leader

Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf made the announcement on Friday after she and other US officials visited the Syrian capital, Damascus, to hold talks with the new Syrian administration.

It was the first visit by US diplomats to Syria since al-Assad was removed from power earlier this month in a lightning offensive, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group.

The US, however, had designated HTS a “terrorist” organisation in 2018. Al-Sharaa — also known as Abu Mohammed al-Julani — is the group’s leader and was once aligned with al-Qaeda.

Leaf said the US decided to drop the reward for al-Sharaa after receiving “positive messages” during Friday’s discussions, including a promise to ensure that “terrorist” groups cannot pose a threat.

“Based on our discussion, I told him we would not be pursuing the Rewards for Justice reward offer that has been in effect for some years,” Leaf told reporters.