Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s Historic Visit to the U.S.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrived in the U.S. on Saturday, ahead of a landmark meeting with President Trump, as reported by his country’s state news agency. This visit marks a significant shift, occurring a day after Washington removed him from a terrorism blacklist.
Al-Sharaa, whose rebel forces ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad late last year, is set to meet Mr. Trump at the White House on Monday—the first such visit by a Syrian president since Syria’s independence in 1946, according to analysts. He previously addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York City in September.
Their first meeting took place in Riyadh during President Trump’s Middle East tour in May. U.S. envoy to Syria Tom Barrack expressed hope that al-Sharaa would sign an agreement to join the international U.S.-led alliance against the Islamic State.
A notable change came when the State Department delisted al-Sharaa as a global terrorist on Friday, a move widely anticipated. Spokesman Tommy Pigott attributed this decision to the Syrian government’s fulfillment of U.S. demands, including efforts to locate missing Americans and the elimination of chemical weapons.
“These actions are being taken in recognition of the progress demonstrated by the Syrian leadership after the departure of Bashar al-Assad and more than 50 years of repression under the Assad regime,” Pigott stated. The delisting aims to promote “regional security and stability as well as an inclusive, Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process.”
Al-Sharaa’s past includes a membership in al Qaeda around 20 years ago and a prison stint in Iraq and the U.S. from 2005 to 2011. After his release, he led an affiliate of al Qaeda in Syria and was designated as a terrorist by the U.S. in 2013. He renounced his allegiance to al Qaeda in 2016.
In November 2024, al-Sharaa’s forces toppled the Assad regime in a surprising offensive. In an interview with “60 Minutes” last month, he spoke of the psychological trauma endured by Syrians under the Assad regime.