Washington: The United States is offering a $10 million reward for information to identify or locate the head of Al-Qaeda’s former Syria affiliate the Fateh al-Sham Front, AFP reported.
The $10 million reward of the State Department’s Rewards for Justice for information leading to the capture and prosecution of Abu Mohammad al-Julani is its first for a leader of the group.
He has been named a “specially designated global terrorist” by the State Department and is also listed at the United Nations Security Council.
In its notice, the State Department indicates that Julani pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda in April 2013 after falling out with Daesh (also known as ISIS). He praised Al-Qaeda again in an online video posted in July 2016.
Fateh al-Sham Front, previously known as Al-Nusra Front, split from Al-Qaeda in July 2016, in a move analysts said was an abortive attempt to end its blacklisting by the UN and Western governments.
The $10 million reward puts Julani in an infamous circle of top terrorist leaders wanted by the US government. The US is offering $25 million for Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the emir of Daesh, and Ayman al-Zawahiri, the head of al Qaeda.
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