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Turnaround in US-Syria relations. Ahmed al-Sharaa, from Washington's blacklist to the White House
2025-11-10 23:43:34 / BOTA
Ahmed al-Sharaa, the commander who led Al-Qaeda's Syrian branch during the civil war, was a mysterious figure who rarely appeared in public, even as his group became the most powerful faction fighting to overthrow Bashar al-Assad.
In 2016, he broke away from Al Qaeda, rebranded his group and gradually became the most recognizable face of the Syrian rebels, writes A2.
"This victory, my brothers, is a new chapter in the history of the entire Islamic nation. It handed Syria over to Iranian ambitions, spreading sectarianism and corruption," Al Sharaa said.
Just five months later, on May 14, 2025, what once seemed impossible happened. US President Donald Trump met with Ahmed Al Sharaa in Riyadh, following the US's surprise decision to lift all sanctions on the new Islamist government in Damascus.
"In Syria, after all the suffering and death, there is a new government that we hope will bring stability and peace. My administration has taken the first steps to restore normal relations with Syria, for the first time in more than a decade," Donald Trump stressed.
For Trump, the decision was justified by the need for stability. For Sharaan, it was an act of historic courage: “President Trump, thanks be to him, responded to this love. The decision to lift the sanctions was historic and courageous. It alleviated the suffering of the people and paved the way for stability in the region.”
In September of that year, Sharaa made his first appearance in New York at the United Nations General Assembly, the first visit by a Syrian leader in nearly six decades. He was accompanied by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and at a parallel forum he was interviewed by General David Petraeus, the former commander of US forces in Iraq and a former battlefield enemy.
"We were on opposite sides when I was in command in Iraq... you were held prisoner by American forces for five years. And here you are today, as the president of Syria," Petraeus said.
"Once we were on a battlefield, today we are on the field of dialogue. Those who have experienced war understand better than anyone the importance of peace," Al Sharaa stressed.
Earlier this November, the Syrian Foreign Minister confirmed what many called the unthinkable; an official visit by Ahmed al-Sharaa to the White House: “The visit of President Ahmed al-Sharaa to Washington is historic, perhaps the first in 70 or 80 years. We aim to open a new chapter between Syria and the United States.”
From a declared terrorist commander to a President waiting to be welcomed by the leader of the free world, Ahmed al-Sharaa's story is a mirror of the dramatic transformations in the Middle East.
Now, as Damascus and Washington draw closer for the first time after decades of hostility, the world waits to see whether this rapprochement will bring peace... or just another unpredictable chapter in the Syrian saga. (A2 Television)
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