In a controversial move, the Biden administration has removed a $10 million bounty on Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and de facto Head of Syria following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad.
At a glance:
- The U.S. has stopped offering a $10 million reward for the capture of Sharaa, leader of the jihadist group HTS.
- Sharaa’s group, an offshoot of al-Qaeda, led the recent overthrow of the Assad regime in Syria.
- HTS has been accused of numerous war crimes, including targeting civilians and massacring minority groups.
- International observers remain skeptical of Sharaa’s promises of an inclusive Syrian government.
Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known by his former jihadi alias Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, leads HTS, a Sunni Islamist group that evolved from the al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front. HTS recently became the dominant force in Syria’s opposition after conquering Aleppo and forcing Bashar al-Assad to flee the country.
Sharaa has attempted to rebrand himself as a pragmatic leader, abandoning his militant image for a more polished persona. He has donned Western suits, launched a media campaign, and promised a government inclusive of Syria’s diverse population.
In an interview with the BBC, Sharaa stated that HTS is “not a terrorist organization” and rejected comparisons to Afghanistan’s Taliban. He pledged to allow education for girls and coexistence with Christians and Kurds, though he deferred on contentious issues like alcohol consumption, claiming such matters would be decided by judicial authorities.
A controversial decision
The decision to lift the bounty followed a meeting between Sharaa and senior U.S. diplomats, including Barbara Leaf, a top State Department official for the Middle East. Leaf described the conversation as “productive” and justified the removal of the bounty as part of fostering dialogue with Syria’s new leadership.
Prior to this decision, the U.S. Rewards for Justice program labeled Sharaa a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” responsible for numerous atrocities, including:
- The 2015 massacre of 20 Druze civilians in Qalb Lawzeh, Idlib province.
- The kidnapping of 300 Kurdish civilians, later released, that same year.
While the bounty has been removed, Sharaa remains on the U.S. sanctions list, and HTS is still classified as a foreign terrorist organization.
Concerns about governance
Despite Sharaa’s assurances, international observers and Syrian residents are alarmed by early developments under HTS rule. Reports indicate that extremist clerics and former HTS militants are filling key government positions in Damascus.
“Almost all of the new appointees are cadres drawn from HTS, the rebel group Ahrar Al Sham, and the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood,” the National reported, raising concerns that Syria’s new government may mirror theocratic regimes elsewhere.
Non-Islamist Syrians have expressed fear that promises of inclusivity will give way to Islamist rule. Sharaa’s past remarks, such as his claim to CNN that “people who fear Islamic governance either have seen incorrect implementations of it or do not understand it properly,” have done little to ease these concerns.
Skepticism from international critics
Critics of the Biden administration’s decision argue that lifting the bounty undermines the accountability of a figure tied to significant human rights abuses. While the U.S. appears to be navigating a pragmatic relationship with Sharaa’s regime, many warn that this move legitimizes a group with a violent history.
The situation in Syria remains precarious as the world watches to see whether Sharaa’s promises of reform will translate into action or if the country will succumb to theocratic authoritarianism under HTS rule.
