Since toppling the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, Syria‘s interim leader has spent the past year transforming his global image while tackling deep divisions at home. Now, al-Sharaa, who has thrown off his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, will make history as the first Syrian president to visit the White House. “I think he’s doing a very good job,” Trump said last week, setting the tone for his landmark meeting with al-Sharaa, who would not have been able to set foot in the U.S. a year ago thanks to the $10 million bounty on his head.
“It’s a tough neighborhood and he’s a tough guy, but I got along with him very well and a lot of progress has been made with Syria,” Trump said. During his Washington visit, Al-Sharaa is expected to commit to joining the U.S.-led coalition to defeat the Islamic State militant group, two U.S. officials told NBC News. It would be a significant step in his country’s engagement with the West. The State Department removed al-Sharaa and his interior minister from the Specially Designated Global Terrorist list Friday, while the United Kingdom and Europe removed sanctions on al-Sharaa after the United Nations Security Council voted in favor of a U.S.-drafted resolution to do so.
