US President Trump had only words of praise for Syria’s interim president, al-Sharaa, during his visit to the White House: Al-Sharaa is a “tough guy” who can get Syria back on its feet. Sanctions against the country are still suspended for the time being.
US President Donald Trump is the first Syrian head of state since the country’s independence in 1946 to receive interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House in Washington. “He’s a very strong leader,” Trump said of the former al-Sharaa jihadist after the meeting. Trump praised al-Sharaa for its strength. “He comes from a very tough environment and he is a tough guy,” said the US president. He wants Syria to be “very successful.” Al-Sharaa “can do it, I’m very confident,” Trump added.
The US State Department said US sanctions on Syria would be suspended for another 180 days. As part of Washington’s rapprochement with Damascus after the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, Trump suspended US sanctions on Syria in May. The US Department of State supports the full lifting of sanctions imposed in 2019. However, the US Congress must vote on this.
Syria will be closed Anti-ISIS coalition to
As is known after the meeting, Syria also joined the US-led coalition to fight the Islamic State terrorist organization (ISIS). Syria recently signed a political cooperation agreement with the international coalition to fight ISIS “and thus reaffirmed its role as a partner in fighting terrorism and supporting regional stability,” wrote Information Minister Hamza al-Mustafa on Platform X.
Syria is expected to take part in the coalition to fight the ISIS terrorist militia on the occasion of al-Sharaa’s visit to the White House. In 2014, ISIS controlled large areas of Syria and neighboring Iraq. Terrorist militias control parts of Syria and 40 percent of Iraq. America leads operations to counter terrorist militias. Although considered militarily defeated, it is estimated that around 2,500 ISIS fighters are still active in the two countries and are also carrying out attacks.
Closeness to Al Qaeda
Trump seeks to rebuild relations with Syria after 50 years of Assad dynasty rule. As head of the HTS militia, al-Sharaa led the rebel offensive that forced ruler Bashar al-Assad to flee to Russia in December and ended the long-running civil war. Since then, Syria’s interim president has sought to improve relations with Arab and Western countries. Due to its previous connections to the terrorist group Al Qaeda, al-Sharaa had to overcome resistance. It was only in July that America withdrew its classification of HTS as a foreign terrorist organization.
