The US State Department has announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest of Hashim Finyan Rahim al-Sarji, also known as Abu Ala al-Walaei, the leader of the Tehran-backed Iraqi armed group Kataeb Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS), which Washington designates as a terrorist organization.In a post on Twitter on Friday, US officials said they were seeking information about al-Saraji’s whereabouts. People providing information “may be eligible for transfers and rewards,” the post said.Washington said the KSS “has killed Iraqi civilians and attacked US diplomatic facilities in Iraq, as well as US military bases and personnel in Iraq and Syria.”According to AFP, al-Saraji has a seat in the Coordination Framework, the ruling Shia coalition that holds the parliamentary majority in Iraq.Iran-backed groups have targeted the US Embassy in Baghdad, a diplomatic and logistics facility at Baghdad airport and oil fields operated by foreign companies.The development comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East region following the weeks-long conflict between the US, Iran and Israel that began on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, followed by retaliatory strikes on US targets in Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Syria, a move that reportedly “surprised” even the Trump administration. A fragile ceasefire in the wider conflict was extended on Thursday.Earlier this month, the US announced a similar bounty for the leader of the Iraqi armed group Kataib Hezbollah, whose leader was accused of kidnapping US journalist Shelley Kittleson last month and was released a week later.Washington has also stepped up pressure on Baghdad to take action against pro-Tehran groups by suspending cash shipments and blocking funding for security programs in Iraq, according to US media reports this week.