Syria: USA, remove the bounty from al-Jolani's head
Washington will lift the bounty on al-Jolani's head. Barbara Leaf, US envoy for the Middle East, said she welcomed the “positive messages” that emerged from the conversation she had in Damascus with the new Syrian leader, including the promise to fight terrorism. It was the first formal mission to the Syrian capital by US diplomats since the early days of the Syrian civil war. The flash offensive that overthrew President Bashar al-Assad on December 8 was led by the Islamist movement Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which has its roots in the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda but which sought to moderate its image in recent years. Leaf's meeting with al-Jolani occurred despite the fact that his group has been on the list of terrorist organizations for six years. “We fully support a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process that results in an inclusive and representative government that respects the rights of all Syrians, including women, and Syria's diverse ethnic and religious communities,” Leaf said. The United States agreed on these principles with leading Arab and European diplomats, as well as Turkey, during a meeting Dec. 14 in Aqaba, Jordan. Leaf said he spoke to al-Jolani about the “critical need to ensure that terrorist groups cannot pose a threat within Syria or externally, including to the United States and partners in the region and al-Jolani has committed to this sense”.
