US warns HTS leader Jolani he's still 'most wanted'

US warns Syria HTS leader Jolani he's still among 'most wanted', despite 'the suit'

Jolani has embarked on a series of image changes during her period as HTS leader.

2 min read

03 February, 2021

Jolani remains among the most wanted by the US [Getty]

The leader of Syria's (HTS) was pictured this week wearing a suit for a TV interview with a western reporter, leading to the US to remind the militant that there is still a $10 million bounty on his head.

PBS reporter Martin Smith shared an image of Jolani after the interview for FRONTLINE in .

"Just returned from three days in Idlib, Syria with Abu Muhammad al Jolani, founder of al Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al Nusra. He spoke candidly about 9/11, AQ, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, ISIS, America and more," Smith tweeted, along with the image.

— Martin Smith (@Martin28Smith) " style="color:#fff;" class="twitter-post-link" target="_blank">Twitter Post

Just returned from three days in Idlib, Syria with Abu Muhammad al Jolani, founder of al Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al Nusra. He spoke candidly about 9/11, AQ, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, ISIS, America and more. Reporting for photo
— Martin Smith (@Martin28Smith)

Jolani has embarked on several image overhauls in recent years but the shot of him standing with Smith wearing a suit surprised many Syria watchers.

Jolani's smart appearance appeared to be another attempt to distance himself from his former status as the leader of Al-Qaeda's branch in Syria, known as Al-Nusra Front.

HTS, the new name of his outfit, is proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the US, EU and others.

After the image of Jolani and Smith was widely shared on Twitter, the State Department's "Rewards for Justice" Arabic-language page on Tuesday issued a direct warning to the militant leader.

"Hello handsome Jolani, what's this nice suit? You can change your clothes but you're still a terrorist. Don't forget the 10 million dollar reward," tweeted Rewards for Justice Arabic.

Below was a contact number for anyone with information on the HTS leader.

Jolani led Al-Nusra Front, Syria's Al-Qaeda franchise, until 2017 when he publically distanced himself from the international terrorist network.

HTS of most of Idlib in 2019, after a series of offensives against rebel groups in the area. HTS has also clashed with jihadist formations in Idlib, such as Hurras Al-Din.

Jolani and his militants are accused of human rights abuses, including the kidnapping, torture, and .

In recent years, Jolani has engaged in a series of to appeal to the local population in Idlib, and attempted to distance himself from his jihadist roots.

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