U.S. Weighs Removing $10M Bounty on HTS Leader After Sunday’s Damascus Takeover, Forming New Syrian Government

Dec 9, 2024, 08:33 AM

Senior U.S. officials are reportedly discussing the possibility of removing a $10 million bounty on Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, the leader of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group previously designated as a terrorist organization. This move comes after HTS forces, led by al-Jolani, seized control of Damascus and toppled the government of Bashar al-Assad on Sunday. The discussions are seen as a potential first step toward engaging with HTS, which now leads the new Syrian government. The U.S. Rewards for Justice program had initially placed the bounty on al-Jolani in 2016. The potential removal of the bounty has sparked calls for a review of HTS's designation as a terrorist organization by some officials, including a British representative.