The US central government, in associate with state governments, is reportedly offering rewards that totals around $20m (£13m) for information on what it says are of the four giants of the Islamic State (IS) militant group.
Accordingly, the ‘big four’ are Abd al-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli; Abu Mohammed al-Adnani; Tarkhan Tayumurazovich Batirashvili and Tariq Bin-al-Tahar Bin al Falih al-‘Awni al-Harzi. They join a list of ‘most-wanted’ suspects sought under the Rewards programmes.
It stated that “two soldiers of the caliphate”, as the militants have termed themselves, had attacked a ‘Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest’ that was being held at a conference centre in the area of Garland, around Dallas. The US Department of State has offered up to $7m for information on Qaduli, whom it described as a senior and cunning IS official who had originally joined al-Qaeda’s associate in the nation of Iraq. The others are reported to be spokesperson, battlefield commanders and else, with the rewards for them being a bit lower.
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria has seized huge territories in the eastern parts of Syria and northern Iraq, declaring them to be a caliphate and imposing a harsh interpretation of Islamic law on the residents. The group has been accused of many ruthless charges, such as the suicide bombing attacks, murder, brutal rapes etc.
The highest reward offered under the Rewards for Justice scheme is up to $25m for Ayman al-Zawahiri, who was named as the next leader of al-Qaeda in June 2011, soon after the ‘giant’ Osama Bin Laden’s death. It has also similarly offered up to $10m for the information and capture of the IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
