Syria to join coalition to defeat IS group after Trump meeting

Syria will join the international coalition to fight the Islamic State group, marking a shift in U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, a senior Trump administration official confirmed.

The announcement comes as President Donald Trump meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House – the first such visit by a Syrian leader in the country’s history.

In an interview with Fox News’ Special Report, al-Sharaa said the visit was part of a “new era” in which the country would cooperate with the United States.

Trump has expressed support for al-Sharaa, which until recently was designated terrorist by the US government.

Syria will now be the 90th country to join the global coalition, which aims to eliminate remaining elements of the so-called Islamic State and stem the flow of foreign militants to the Middle East.

Following the meeting, a senior administration official also confirmed that the U.S. Treasury Department, along with the State and Commerce departments, would announce new measures to lift economic restrictions on Syria and provide “compliance clarity for investors.”

As part of these measures, the administration is also suspending for 180 days the Caesar Act, which has sanctioned the former Syrian government since 2019.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office several hours after the meeting, Trump said that “we want to see Syria become a very successful country.”

“And I think this leader can do it,” he added. “Really.”

Diplomatic relations between Syria and the United States have been suspended since 2012, although the United States will now allow Syria to reopen its embassy in Washington.

This is the third meeting between the two leaders, following a meeting in May on the sidelines of the Gulf Cooperation Council and a dinner at the UN General Assembly in September.

Al-Sharaa’s visit to the White House crowns a remarkable overhaul of the former jihadist’s image.

Not long ago, he led a branch of al-Qaeda – the group behind the 9/11 attacks and many others – before severing his ties.

Until this year, he was the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an armed Islamist group that the United States officially considered a terrorist organization until four months ago, with a $10 million bounty on his head.

The Treasury Department removed al-Sharaa from its “specially designated global terrorist list” last week.

But since becoming Syrian interim president, al-Sharaa has worked to soften his public image as he tries to rebuild Syria, with foreign support, after 13 years of war.

“He’s had a difficult past,” Trump said Monday. “And I think, frankly, if you didn’t have a difficult past, you wouldn’t have a chance.”

In his interview, al-Sharaa said he and Trump did not discuss its past, but instead focused on the “present and future” of Syria, in which it was a “geopolitical” and economic partner of Washington.

Al-Sharaa’s regime, however, has been marred by the killings of members of Syria’s Alawite minority, as well as deadly violence between Sunni Bedouin fighters and Druze militias.

He has pledged to eliminate members of his security forces who have committed human rights violations.

Trump, for his part, has repeatedly expressed support for al-Sharaa, calling him an “attractive young man” and a “fighter.”

In June, President Trump signed an executive order lifting sanctions on Syria, which the White House said would help support the country’s “path toward stability and peace.”

At the time, the administration said it would monitor the new Syrian government’s actions, including “taking steps to normalize relations with Israel” and going after “foreign terrorists” and militant groups operating in the country.