Once A Global Terrorist, Syrian President Sharaa To Now Meet President Trump At White House

Last Updated:November 09, 2025, 20:34 IST

Syrian President Ahmed Sharaa visits Washington after US drops terrorist label. UN lifts sanctions; China abstains, citing counter-terrorism concerns.

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa (Image: AP)

Syrian President Ahmed Sharaa has started his two-day official visit to Washington after the US formally revoked his status as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.

Sharaa was the former head of Syria’s al-Nusra Front, who once had a $10 million bounty on his head for orchestrating multiple attacks across Syria.

Once one of the world’s most wanted men, Ahmed al-Sharaa, who was once better known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, will be meeting US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday.

According to BBC, hours before his arrival in the US capital it was announced that Syrian security services had detained dozens of suspected members of the so-called Islamic State group.

Meanwhile, the Syrian President and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani were seen playing basketball with top US military commanders as both countries move forward with strengthening their ties, al Arabiya reported.

While not disclosing the location, al-Shaibani shared a video on Instagram captioned: “Work hard, play harder. Running a few plays on the court with Admiral Brad Cooper and Brigadier General Kevin Lambert."

This comes days after the UN Security Council voted to lift sanctions against Syrian President Ahmed al‑Sharaa and Interior Minister Anas Khattab under a US-drafted resolution approved by 14 members, with China abstaining.

China, meanwhile, abstained, citing concerns that the resolution did not sufficiently address counter-terrorism threats, including the presence of Uyghur fighters linked to the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement.

According to the resolution, the asset freezes and travel bans imposed on the two officials were removed as part of a broader recalibration of Syria’s international standing following the collapse of the previous regime.

The move is seen as symbolic of a shift in diplomatic strategy after more than a decade of civil war. The sanctions had been in place since the earlier regime’s links to terrorism and conflict. A UN monitoring report noted this year that there were no “active ties" between the militant group Hayat Tahrir al‑Sham (HTS) and al‑Qaeda, a key benchmark cited by member states.

The US ambassador to the UN described the vote as “sending a strong political signal" recognising that Syria has entered a “new era". Russia supported the resolution, saying it best reflected the “interests and aspirations of the Syrian people themselves".

News world Once A Global Terrorist, Syrian President Sharaa To Now Meet President Trump At White House

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