Formerly Wanted, Now Invited: Syrian President to the White House

Washington - Until recently considered an international terrorist wanted by the United States government, Ahmed Al-Sharaa will be a guest at the White House today, as the President of Syria.

His host, President Donald Trump, will hold a meeting in the Oval Office with Al-Sharaa, who, after being a leader of a branch of the terrorist organization in the Levant nation, stepped aside and repudiated Islamic extremism upon coming to power in his country.

Perhaps even a formal agreement for cooperation in the fight against terrorism will be signed between the two, which, if realized, would indicate a radical shift in the White House's perception of Syria.

After meeting with Al-Sharaa for the first time in Saudi Arabia in May, Trump described the current Syrian ruler as an "attractive young man, a tough guy, with a standout past."

By means of an executive order, the Republican president officially lifted U.S. economic sanctions against Syria that same month.

Last September, during his speech before the UN General Assembly in New York, Al-Sharaa stated before the gathered leaders that his country was "reclaiming the place it deserves among the nations of the world."