The Biden Administration Lifts $10M Bounty on Syrian Rebel Leader
The Biden administration has lifted the $10 million bounty on the head of Ahmed al-Sharaa, leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a rebel group that drove Bashar al-Assad out of Damascus. In exchange for the removal of the bounty, HTS agreed not to allow terrorism groups to threaten the US or neighboring countries. The agreement followed a meeting between US envyo Barbara Leaf and Sharaa, in which they discussed regional issues. Leaf noted that having the bounty on Sharaa’s head was “incoherent” given that the US was beginning dialogue with the group.
Although HTS was founded as an al-Qaeda offshoot, it broke away in 2016 and became a rival to the designated terrorist group. The Biden administration designated HTS a terrorist organization in 2018, but Sharaa claimed that the group does not target civilians or civilian areas and is struggling to reform its extremist roots. US officials have pressed HTS to become more pragmatic, and Sharaa reportedly expressed support for education for women, admitting that his group has set up universities in Idlib province for over eight years.
Leaf described the initial meeting as “good, thoroughgoing” and mentioned that Sharaa emphasized his group’s commitment to not allow terrorism groups in Syria to threaten the region. She also noted that the US will judge Sharaa’s words through his deeds. The shift in the US stance came as it has increased diplomatic efforts to stabilize the volatile region.
