U.S. offers millions in rewards for information on al-Qaida leaders

The United States on Thursday announced rewards totalling 10 million dollars for information on two senior leaders of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

The State Department Rewards for Justice Program is offering up to 6 million dollars for information leading to the identification or location of Sa'ad bin Atef al-Awlaki and up to 4 million dollars for information leading to the identification or location of Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al-Qosi.

Al-Awlaki, the emir of a province in Yemen, has publicly called for attacks against the United States and its allies, while Al-Qosi is part of the leadership team that assists the current emir of AQAP, the State Department said in a news release announcing the rewards.

Al-Qosi, born in Sudan, was previously in U.S. custody and held at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. After more than nine years in captivity he pleaded guilty in 2010 to conspiring with al-Qaida and providing material support to terrorism and was returned to Sudan in 2012 under a pretrial agreement.

The State Department said he joined AQAP in 2014, but has been active in al-Qaida for decades and previously worked directly for Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaida leader killed in 2011 by U.S. special operations forces at his hideout in Pakistan.

Rewards for Justice began 35 years ago and since then has paid more than 150 million dollars to more than 100 people who provided information that helped bring terrorists to justice or prevented acts of terrorism.    (dpa)