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The United States has offered rewards of up to $18 million for information leading to the identification or location of two key leaders of the Islamic State Khorasan Province, ISIS-K.

The US Department of State’s Rewards for Justice programme announced the offers in a notice posted on its X handle on Tuesday.

The programme is offering up to $8 million for information on ISIS-K leader, Shahab al-Muhajir, also known as Sanaullah Ghafari.

According to Rewards for Justice, ISIS’ core leadership appointed Ghafari, who was born in Afghanistan in 1994, as leader of ISIS-K in June 2020.

An ISIS communiqué announcing his appointment described him as an experienced military leader and one of ISIS-K’s “urban lions” in Kabul who had been involved in guerrilla operations and the planning of suicide and complex attacks.

Rewards for Justice is offering a reward of up to $8 million for information on Ghafari,” who is responsible for approving ISIS-K operations throughout Afghanistan and arranging funding for the group’s activities, the programme said.

In another notice, the programme said Obaidullah, also known as Salahuddin and Maulawi Rajab, helps plan ISIS-K attacks and operations, commands groups conducting terrorist attacks and helps manage the group’s finances through its al-Siddiq Office.

The al-Siddiq Office, according to Rewards for Justice, is a regional ISIS directorate responsible for overseeing ISIS activities in Asia and providing financial support to ISIS branches and networks.

The programme said Obaidullah is a close associate of ISIS-K emir Sanaullah Ghafari, also known as Shahab al-Muhajir.

“Rewards for Justice is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information on Obaidullah, a key leader of the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization,” the programme said.

It added that Obaidullah was also connected to multiple ISIS-K terrorist plots targeting US, European and Middle Eastern interests.

Rewards for Justice said individuals associated with Obaidullah killed 145 people with gunfire and explosives in the March 2024 attack on the Crocus City Hall music venue in Russia, which was subsequently destroyed by fire.

The programme said ISIS-K is an Afghanistan-based terrorist group that conducts operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

It said the group, composed primarily of former members of Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, pledged allegiance to ISIS in 2015.

Rewards for Justice also linked ISIS-K to several attacks, including the July 2016 bombing of a peaceful protest in Kabul, which it said killed nearly 80 people and wounded about 230 others.

The programme said ISIS-K claimed responsibility for a May 2020 attack on a Kabul maternity hospital that killed 24 people, including newborn babies and their mothers.

It also said the group claimed responsibility for the August 2021 suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, in which 13 US military personnel and about 160 civilians were killed during the evacuation operation.

The US Department of State designated ISIS-K as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation in January 2016 and previously designated it as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist organisation in September 2015.

The department designated Obaidullah as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in November 2021.

Rewards for Justice urged individuals with information on the two men to submit tips through its reporting channels.

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A 23-year-old Omaha, Nebraska man who used ChatGPT to plan a bank robbery has been sentenced to 121 months in federal prison after he robbed a bank at gunpoint and threatened two employees with death.

Deron Lewis-Payne was sentenced on August 13, 2026, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nebraska in a statement published on August 19 and cited by our correspondent on Monday.

The US Justice Department said Lewis-Payne received 37 months for bank robbery and another 84 months for brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, with the sentences to run consecutively. He will also serve five years of supervised release after his imprisonment.

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The incident occurred on February 10, when Lewis-Payne entered i3Bank in Omaha carrying a black semi-automatic handgun and demanded money from two employees.

“He pointed the handgun at the tellers and told them he would kill them if they did not comply,” the Justice Department said, adding that he ordered the employees to empty their cash drawers and warned them “not to include any dye packs with the cash.”

The tellers complied, allowing Lewis-Payne to escape with approximately $`9,175 in cash.

Investigators later used surveillance footage from the bank and nearby residential cameras to identify the suspect and the vehicle allegedly used in the robbery.

“i3 Bank surveillance captured his unmasked face and distinctive outfit, including red Nike slides,” the department said.

It added that residential surveillance cameras also captured the vehicle, including its registration plate and “distinctive features to include a toolbox and particular rust spots.”

The investigation took another turn after officers examined Lewis-Payne’s phone, with investigators finding that he had used ChatGPT while preparing for the robbery.

“Officers examined the contents and determined Lewis-Payne used ChatGPT to plan the robbery,” the department said.

According to the Justice Department, his queries included advice on “law enforcement response times,” how to “strip and repair a Llama Mini-Max .45 handgun” and how to obtain ammunition despite being a felon.

His Google Maps history also showed that he had most recently searched for directions to i3Bank.

After the robbery, investigators said Lewis-Payne went on a shopping spree at Westroads Mall, using cash to purchase shoes and clothing.

When officers later located him near one of his residences, he fled, “abandoning banded cash in his wake,” according to the department.

A search of his residences uncovered another currency band, the vehicle allegedly used in the robbery and most of the clothing he wore during the incident, including the red Nike slides.

Lewis-Payne admitted to driving the vehicle but denied participating in the robbery.

The handgun used in the robbery was never recovered, while investigators recovered $2,397 of the $9,175 stolen from the bank.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The US Justice Department noted that there is no parole in the federal prison system.

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Canada has suspended trade negotiations with the United States after talks broke down, with Prime Minister Mark Carney warning that Ottawa will respond to new US tariffs with dollar-for-dollar measures.

The decision came shortly before a deadline for reaching a deal, following weeks of negotiations aimed at easing tensions between the two major trading partners.

Mr Carney said significant progress had been made, but it was not enough to meet Canada’s objectives. He criticised last-minute changes to the US proposals, describing them as unfair and economically damaging.

Last-minute changes in the US proposed terms were unfair, uneconomic, and called into question the reliability of any deal,” he said.

The breakdown means a new wave of US tariffs will now affect a range of Canadian products. The 50% levies apply to about 5% of Canadian exports, including wine, dairy products, cement, clothing and hockey equipment.

The new tariffs come on top of existing US duties on Canadian steel, aluminium, cars and lumber.

Canada sends about 70% of its exports to the US, making the country particularly vulnerable to a prolonged trade dispute.

Mr Carney said Canada would impose reciprocal tariffs on American goods, matching the value of the US measures “dollar for dollar”.

The announcement marks a sharp change in tone after officials from both countries had expressed optimism earlier in the week that a trade agreement was close.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer accused Canada of backing away from commitments reached during negotiations.

Tonight, Canada declined to finalise the trade deal under the terms agreed earlier this week,” he said.

The negotiations had reportedly included discussions over reducing US tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminium from 50% to 25%, while tariffs on Canadian vehicles could have fallen from 25% to 15%.

In return, the US had sought concessions from Canada, including greater access for American dairy products and the removal of restrictions on US alcohol sales in Canadian provinces.

Canadian businesses have warned that the tariffs could cause significant economic damage.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce described the new measures as a “body blow to North American competitiveness”, warning that smaller exporters could struggle to maintain orders, payrolls and jobs.

Economists have estimated that Canada could lose about 90,000 jobs if the tariffs remain in place, while financial analysts have projected that the measures could reduce Canada’s gross domestic product by between 0.3% and 0.6%.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford backed the federal government’s response, calling for “tariff for tariff, dollar for dollar”.

The latest dispute adds to growing tensions between the two countries since US President Donald Trump returned to office and introduced a broad programme of tariffs.