US drops bounty for Syria's new leader after Damascus meeting

People wave independence-era Syrian flags during celebrations for the ousting of president Bashar al-Assad at the main Ummayad Square in the capital Damascus on December 20, 2024. Islamist-led rebels took Damascus in a lightning offensive on December 8, ousting president Bashar al-Assad and ending five decades of Baath rule in Syria. [AFP]

A senior US diplomat told Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on Friday that Washington was scrapping a reward for his arrest as she welcomed "positive messages" from their talks, including a promise to fight terrorism.

Barbara Leaf, the top US diplomat for the Middle East, said she told Sharaa of the "critical need to ensure terrorist groups cannot pose a threat inside of Syria or externally, including to the US and our partners in the region."