Iraq News

$10 million bounty for al-Nusra Front chief

The US is offering a $10 million reward for information to identify or locate al-Nusra Front (ANF) leader Abu Mohamed al-Joulani, AFP reported Wednesday (May 10th).

The State Department's reward for information on al-Joulani is its first for a leader of the group, which now calls itself Fatah al-Sham Front and operates as part of the new Tahrir al-Sham alliance.

Al-Joulani has been named a "specially designated global terrorist" by the State Department and is also listed at the UN Security Council.

In its notice, the State Department indicates that al-Joulani pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda in April 2013 after falling out with the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) and praised al-Qaeda again in an online video posted in July 2016.

"Under al-Joulani's leadership, ANF has carried out multiple terrorist attacks throughout Syria, often targeting civilians," the State Department said, detailing several of the attacks.

Meanwhile, Tahrir al-Sham on Tuesday warned Syrian opposition groups against implementing a deal on safe zones, saying they would be considered traitors.

Tahrir al-Sham made the threat in response to an agreement signed by Turkey, Iran and Russia in Kazakhstan last week that calls for the establishment of four "de-escalation zones".

Under the agreement, the warring sides will halt hostilities and airstrikes for six months, but the agreement does not extend to the targeting of extremist groups such as ISIS and ANF.

Tahrir al-Sham described the deal as "tantamount to betrayal" and called on its allies to prevent groups from trying to advance on its territory.

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