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November 11, 2025

Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa Meets With President Trump at the White House
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Syria's President Ahmed Al-Sharaa met with President Trump at the White
House yesterday. It was the first visit by a Syrian President to
Washington in history, and it comes just days after the U.S. said
Al-Sharaa was no longer a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist."
Al-Sharaa once had a $10 million bounty on his head, and was jailed by
U.S. forces as an insurgent in Iraq from 2005-2011. He was also the
leader of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which was
formerly al-Qaeda's official wing in Syria before breaking off in 2016.
In the Oval Office, President Trump promised sanctions relief for Syria
and commented on the historic nature of his meeting with Al-Sharaa.

President Trump: "We want to see Syria become a country that's very
successful and I think this leader can do it. I really do. I think this
leader can do it. And people said he's had a rough past. We've all had
rough pasts, but he has had a rough past. And I think, frankly, if you
didn't have a rough past, you wouldn't have a chance."



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