The United States previously offered a $10 million reward for information on Syria’s new leader, Abu Mohammad al-Julani, the National Pulse reported.
Al-Julani is also known as Muhammad al-Jawlani and Abu Muhammad al-Golani.
Al-Julani was the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an organization linked to al-Qaeda, according to Sky News. HTS was previously known as Jabhat al-Nusra.
The U.S. government’s Rewards for Justice website once included a page for al-Julani, which read, “Al-Jawlani leads the al-Nusrah Front (ANF), al-Qa’ida’s (AQ) affiliate in Syria. In January 2017, ANF merged with several other hardline opposition groups to form Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). While al-Jawlani is not the leader of HTS, he remains the leader of AQ-affiliated ANF, which is at the core of HTS.”
“Under al-Jawlani’s leadership, ANF has carried out multiple terrorist attacks throughout Syria, often targeting civilians. In April 2015, ANF reportedly kidnapped, and later released, approximately 300 Kurdish civilians from a checkpoint in Syria. In June 2015, ANF claimed responsibility for the massacre of 20 residents in the Druze village of Qalb Lawzeh in Idlib province, Syria,” the website continues.
Al-Julani pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda in April 2013.
The U.S. Department of State designated al-Julani as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist on May 16, 2013.
According to a report from The Independent, the U.K. may remove HTS from its list of terror groups. “Cabinet minister Pat McFadden suggested a decision on lifting the ban could be made quickly if there was a need to hold talks with HTS,” the outlet reported, although whether discussions on the matter are being had have not been confirmed.
Hamas celebrated HTS’s victory in Syria.
