US scraps $10m bounty for new Syrian leader

KABUL (Pajhwok): The US administration has scraped a $10 million reward for the arrest of Ahmad Al-Sharaa, the Syrian Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader, say media reports.

The US government took the decision following a meeting that diplomats called “pragmatic” with representatives of the de facto Syrian leader.

Earlier, Washington had announced the reward for any information leading to the arrest of Ahmad Al-Sharaa, the leader of HTS.

According to CNN, Assistant Secretary of State Barbara Leaf for Middle East Barbara Leaf was one of the three diplomats who met Ahmad al-Sharaa in Damascus.

Following the meeting, the US removed the bounty for Syria’s transitional leader.

Leaf described decision as political and stressed the need for addressing vital issues such as the war on terrorism, the report added.

The two sides emphasised on the need for US efforts to work with the Syria’s transitional government to prevent the Islamic State from returning to the Arab country.

American officials have warned the group may attempt to regroup after the collapse of the Syrian regime.

aw/mud