The US on Friday said it will no longer be pursuing $10 million “Rewards for Justice” bounty on the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani.
“I told him (HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa) we would not be pursuing the Rewards for Justice, reward offer that has been in effect for some years,” Barbara Leaf, the US assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, told reporters following her meeting with HTS officials in Damascus.
On her talk with al-Sharaa, Leaf said she had a “good”, “thorough” discussion on a range of regional issues as well as the domestic scene.
“I heard him on his priorities, which are very much rooted in and getting Syria on the road to economic recovery,” she continued.
She said the HTS leader came across as “pragmatic,” adding: “We’ve been hearing this for some time, some very pragmatic and moderate statements on various issues, from women’s rights to protection, equal rights for all communities.”
“It was a good first meeting. We will judge by deeds, not just by words,” she added.
Emphasizing the “critical need to ensure terrorist groups cannot pose a threat inside of Syria or externally”, she said the HTS leader has expressed a commitment to this as well.
The meeting marks first meeting between US officials and HTS members days after Bashar Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963.
The takeover came after HTS fighters captured key cities in a lightning offensive that lasted less than two weeks.
HTS has been designated as a terrorist organization by the US, UK, UN and Türkiye. However, the group and its leader have sought to rebrand themselves as a more moderate force in Syria, emphasizing inclusion and a political path forward.
According to several reports, the US, along with the UN and several other countries, consider removing HTS’s from terror list though the officials have yet to confirm it officially.