Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the heavily-bearded former Islamist insurgent who was once the target of U.S. counterterrorism operations, has taken another step towards full acceptance under President Donald Trump.
Trump announced during a trip to Saudi Arabia that he plans to lift sanctions on Syria after the fall of the Iranian-backed administration of former President Bashar al-Assad.
Why It Matters
Trump’s announcement marks a shift in tone under Trump and a significant diplomatic win for Syria’s president that follows behind-the-scenes efforts by Middle Eastern rulers aiming to push the war-torn country toward regional reintegration after over a decade of conflict. The U.S. had long sanctioned Syria over human rights abuses and alleged terrorism.
Who Is Al-Sharaa?
Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, is the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) which has its roots in Islamist militant group al-Qaeda.
In 2017, The U.S. put a $10 million bounty on Jolani’s head under its “Rewards for Justice Program” when he was a leader of the group formerly known as the Nusra Front and accused by the U.S. State Department of multiple terrorist attacks in Syria.
In a 2021 PBS interview, Jolani said he was born in 1982 in Saudi Arabia and raised in Damascus’s Mezzeh district.
His jihadist path began in Iraq with ties to the Islamic State. He joined foreign fighters after the 2003 U.S. invasion and was jailed for a time at the US-run Camp Bucca, where he met slain ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who later encouraged him to found al-Nusra in Syria.
Has He Denounced Extremism?
In 2013, Jolani turned away from Baghdadi and pledged loyalty to al-Qaeda. He cut ties with that group in 2016, renaming his group Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, then HTS.
Despite the break from al-Qaeda—more political than ideological—and multiple rebranding efforts, HTS remains a designated terrorist organization by the United Nations, United States, Britain and others, with Western and Arab states voicing skepticism about how far it had really changed.
In a CNN interview after ousting Assad, al-Sharaa reassured religious minorities, stating that “sectarian extremism is a delusion that must be eliminated.” He called for a realistic solution where “no group can cancel another,” with rights protected by law.
But killings of some religious minorities under Sharaa’s leadership as a well as continuation of hardline Islamic rhetoric and practices among his followers have fueled concerns among minority groups.
How Will He Be Tested?
Once deemed an improbable stabilizing force in Syria, al-Sharaa is emerging as a regional partner, benefiting from a Syrian and global consensus that the situation is far better than under Assad.
The new Syrian president faces the challenge of implementing pledges for an inclusive and transparent government, as well as human rights, with his supporters arguing that economic empowerment, possible through the lifting of sanctions, is key.
Syria’s next phase hinges on domestic partnership and international support free of foreign agendas—a critical test of its capacity to rebuild a sovereign, democratic state that meets Syrians’ aspirations, according to the Harmoon Center for Contemporary Studies, a Doha-based research center focused on Syrian affairs.
What People Are Saying
Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa in February interview with Syria TV Channel: “The former regime worked on dividing society, increasing chances of retaliatory operation. Today the rule of state is the guarantee for all sects. Civil peace is not a luxury anymore, it is a duty of all Syrians. It is the main component of their rise.”
President Donald Trump, in Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum speech: “Likewise in Syria, which has seen so much misery and death, there’s a new government that will hopefully succeed in stabilizing the country and keeping peace. That’s what we wanna see. That’s why my administration has already taken the first steps towards restoring normal relations between the United States and Syria for the first time in more than a decade.”
What Happens Next
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to meet with Syria’s Foreign Minister in Turkey later this week.
The post Who Is Syria’s Ahmed al-Sharaa? Possible New Trump Ally appeared first on Newsweek.
