The Kabul Tribune (KT) —Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has arrived in the United States for an official visit, Arab media reported, marking the first such trip by a Syrian president since the country’s independence in 1946.
Al-Sharaa, whose forces ousted longtime ruler Bashar
al-Assad last year, is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump at the White
House on Monday. Washington hopes to enlist Damascus in its global coalition
against ISIL (ISIS) during the visit.
His arrival came late Saturday as Syria’s Interior Ministry
announced a “large-scale security operation” across the country targeting ISIL
cells. State media reported that at least 71 people were arrested, with
explosives and weapons seized, while operations were conducted in Aleppo,
Idlib, Hama, Homs, and the Damascus countryside. The campaign was described as
part of ongoing national efforts “to combat terrorism and protect public
safety,” according to SANA.
Al-Sharaa, formerly a leader of Syria’s al-Qaeda offshoot,
broke from the network a decade ago and later clashed with ISIL. His group,
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), was removed from the US terrorist list in July.
Earlier this month, the US led a UN Security Council vote to lift sanctions
against him.
Al-Sharaa is also expected to seek financial support to
rebuild Syria after 13 years of civil war. The World Bank estimates
reconstruction could cost at least $216 billion.
During his prior visit to the United Nations in September,
al-Sharaa became the first Syrian president in decades to address the UN
General Assembly in New York.
