New Delhi: In a surprising move with significant geopolitical implications, the United States has lifted a 10 million dollar bounty on Ahmed al-Sharaa, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Syria’s most powerful rebel group. This unprecedented decision follows the first-ever face-to-face meeting between American diplomats and HTS leadership, marking a dramatic shift in US policy towards the conflict-torn nation.
The announcement was made by Barbara Leaf, the State Department’s senior diplomat for the Middle East, on Friday. Leaf stated that the decision to revoke the bounty was a calculated one, aimed at facilitating open dialogue with HTS.“It was a policy decision … aligned with the fact that we are beginning a discussion with HTS,” Leaf said.
The US delegation, which included presidential envoy for hostage affairs Roger Carstens and senior advisor Daniel Rubinstein, explained to Sharaa that the bounty hindered ongoing and future discussions. The reward, they argued, created an obstacle to productive negotiations on crucial issues affecting US interests, including the situation in Syria and the region at large.
“So if I’m sitting with the HTS leader and having a lengthy detailed discussion about the interests of the US, interests of Syria, maybe interests of the region, it’s suffice to say a little incoherent then to have a bounty on the guy’s head,” she added.
This meeting marks a significant departure from previous US policy, which had designated HTS as a terrorist organisation. Leaf emphasized the US desire for a sovereign and self-sufficient Syria, free from Iranian influence, reflecting a potential shift in strategy away from supporting rebel factions and towards engaging with the existing power structures, including HTS. “What our government would like to see is a Syria that can stand on its own two feet, that can regain, like its neighbour, Iraq, a full measure of sovereignty over its own affairs,” she said.
During their meeting, the US delegation addressed critical issues, including the plight of missing American journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared in Syria in 2012, and the disappearance of other US citizens. Leaf’s announcement is further complicated by the presence of US troops in Syria. The Pentagon recently confirmed the deployment of 2,000 troops, a significant increase from previously reported figures, and the US’s continued alliance with the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), a key component of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
This alliance poses a significant challenge, given Turkey’s designation of the YPG as a terrorist organisation and its pressure on the US to withdraw its support. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan recently reiterated his demand for an end to collaboration with the YPG.
Leaf acknowledged the complexities, stating that the US is actively seeking a compromise, focusing on de-escalation and a “managed transition” regarding the SDF’s role, particularly around Kobane. “So I think we’re working above all to de-escalate things there, to not distract from the really critical counter-Isis fight and the critical role that the SDF has in managing foreign terrorist fighter detention facilities, while Damascus and the SDF hopefully begin a dialogue themselves,” she added.
The US aims to maintain stability while preserving the SDF’s essential role in managing foreign terrorist fighter detention facilities and hopefully fostering a dialogue between Damascus and the SDF.
