HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa meets with the UK foreign office's Middle East and North Africa director in Damascus in a handout image provided by the Syrian Arab News Agency (Sana) on 17 December 2024 (Sana/via AFP)
A delegation of American diplomats held their first in-person meeting with representatives of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Damascus on Friday, as Washington ramps up engagement with the US-designated terrorist group following its overthrow of the Bashar al-Assad government earlier this month.
The delegation included Barbara Leaf, the State Department's top Middle East diplomat; Roger Carstens, the presidential envoy for hostage affairs; and senior advisor Daniel Rubinstein, who is now leading the department's Syria engagement efforts.
After meeting with HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, Leaf said Washington will no longer pursue the $10m bounty placed on Sharaa's head more than a decade ago.
The webpage for Sharaa's $10m bounty was available on the State Department's website until 17 December, according to an archived version of the site seen by Middle East Eye. The webpage is no longer available.
Leaf described Sharaa as "pragmatic" and said the US delegation had a positive, productive, and detailed meeting with the HTS leader to discuss Syria's political future post-Assad.
During their trip to Damascus, the diplomats discussed Syria's political transition and worked on issues related to the fate of missing journalist Austin Tice, Syrian American doctor Majd Kamalmaz and other citizens who disappeared under Assad's government.
The bounty on Ahmed al-Sharaa was available on the State Department's website until 17 December 2024, as shown in an archived version of the webpage (Screengrab)
The delegation engaged with civil society groups and members of various communities in Syria "about their vision for the future of their country and how the United States can help support them", a State Department spokesperson said.
Syria sanctions
With HTS having led the rebel offensive that toppled Assad, Washington is now engaging with the group while maintaining the group's terrorist designation.
In a statement issued last week, the US said it would be prepared to recognise Syria’s new government if certain conditions were met: the formation of inclusive, nonsectarian leadership; respect for minorities and women; the elimination of any remaining chemical weapons; and assurances that Syria would not serve as a “launchpad” for terrorism.
Since the fall of Assad's government, the US has launched numerous air strikes in Syrian territory against what it said were Islamic State (IS) group targets. On Friday, the US Central Command said it killed the leader of the IS group in Syria in an air strike.
Leaf also said on Friday that the US is reviewing the sanctions it has imposed on Syria as the country seeks to rebuild after more than a decade of civil war.
The US diplomat noted that Sharaa emphasised Syria’s economic recovery as a top priority during their meeting but added that the US would need to see progress and address its concerns.
The delegation’s visit also coincides with the expiration of the Caesar sanctions, a US law that imposed a wide array of sanctions on Syria’s economy.
