Syrian President Ahmed Sharaa has arrived in Washington for an official visit, just two days after the United States removed his designation as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist.”
The former Islamist militant is expected to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, eleven months after his rebel alliance overthrew Bashar al-Assad.
Only hours before his arrival in the U.S. capital, reports emerged that Syrian security forces had arrested dozens of individuals suspected of being members of the so-called Islamic State (ISIS).
Cooperation in combating the remnants of ISIS in Syria is expected to be one of the key topics on the agenda during talks between Sharaa and Trump. Syrian authorities stated that 71 suspects were arrested and that weapons and explosives were seized.
Since taking power, Sharaa has sought to restore Syria’s position on the international stage after decades of isolation under Assad’s regime and thirteen years of civil war.
In September, he traveled to the U.S. to address the United Nations General Assembly, declaring that “Syria is reclaiming its rightful place among the nations of the world,” and urged other countries to lift their sanctions.
Earlier this week, the UN Security Council approved a U.S.-sponsored resolution to lift punitive measures — coinciding with Washington’s gradual process of easing sanctions on Syria and its new leadership.
On Friday, Sharaa and his Interior Minister, Anas Hasan Khattab, were officially removed from the U.S. sanctions list of individuals suspected of supporting or financing extremist groups — a decision the U.S. Treasury Department described as “recognition of the progress demonstrated by Syria’s leadership.”
