Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrived in Washington on Saturday for his first official visit to the United States, just two days after Washington formally removed him from its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists, a move signaling a historic thaw in relations between the former foes.
The trip marks the highest-level contact between Damascus and Washington in nearly two decades. Al-Sharaa, a former Islamist militant whose forces ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad last year, is scheduled to meet U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday.
Analysts say the visit reflects Washington’s cautious embrace of Syria’s new leadership as both governments seek to coordinate on counter-terrorism and regional stability following more than 13 years of civil war.
“The delisting decision was made in recognition of the progress demonstrated by the Syrian leadership,” the U.S. Treasury Department said Friday, referring to al-Sharaa and Interior Minister Anas Hasan Khattab, both removed from America’s terror sanctions register.
Read Also: UN Lifts Sanctions On Syria’s President Ahmed Al-Sharaa
Hours before the president’s plane touched down in Washington, Syrian security services announced the arrest of 71 suspected members of the Islamic State group, along with the seizure of weapons and explosives. Damascus said the coordinated raids were part of an intensified effort to dismantle the remnants of IS cells across the country.
U.S. officials described the timing as “not coincidental,” suggesting it showed the new government’s desire to prove its commitment to joint security goals. Counter-terrorism cooperation is expected to top the agenda of Monday’s talks, along with reconstruction and post-war stabilization.
Al-Sharaa’s path to the presidency is as controversial as it is extraordinary. Once known by his nom de guerre Muhammad al-Jawlani, he commanded the jihadist faction Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), formerly linked to al-Qaeda, before cutting ties with the group in 2016.
He later led a coalition of opposition groups that overthrew Assad’s regime in December 2024. After consolidating power, al-Sharaa rebranded himself as a nationalist leader promising moderation and reconciliation among Syria’s fractured sectarian and ethnic communities.
The United States had previously offered a $10 million bounty for information leading to his capture. His removal from that list this week shows the magnitude of Washington’s policy shift.
Earlier this week, the U.N. Security Council approved a U.S.-backed resolution lifting long-standing sanctions on Syria’s new leadership. The decision coincides with Washington’s gradual rollback of economic restrictions imposed during the Assad era.
Al-Sharaa’s White House meeting on Monday is expected to culminate in a joint statement outlining areas of cooperation, including counter-terrorism, border security, and economic recovery. Officials in both capitals say the visit could pave the way for a new U.S.-Syria framework that redefines regional alliances and potentially reshapes the Middle East’s post-war landscape.
