Syria strengthens security as Sharaa heads to Washington for Trump talks
Syria strengthens security as Sharaa heads to Washington for Trump talks
Syria conducts 61 raids ahead of President Sharaa's DC visit to meet Trump, signaling intentions to join the US-led coalition against ISIS.
Syria has carried out nationwide preemptive operations targeting Islamic State cells, a spokesperson for the interior ministry said on Saturday, as the country’s president arrived in Washington for talks with Donald Trump. Syrian security forces conducted 61 raids, with 71 people arrested and explosives and weapons seized, the spokesperson told state-run Al Ekhbariya TV. The raids came as the Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, arrived in Washington for a planned meeting with Trump, a day after Washington removed him from a terrorism blacklist. He is expected to join an anti-Islamic State US-led coalition. From al-Qaida to the Upper East Side: Syria’s new leader makes his debut on the world stage Read more The US state department and Pentagon did not respond to requests for comment. The visit by Sharaa, whose rebel forces ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad late last year, is the first such visit by a Syrian president since the country’s independence in 1946, according to analysts. The interim leader met Trump for the first time in Riyadh during the US president’s regional tour in May. The US envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, said this month that Sharaa would “hopefully” sign an agreement to join the international US-led alliance against Islamic State. The state department’s decision on Friday to remove Sharaa from the blacklist was widely expected. A spokesperson said Sharaa’s government was cooperating with US demands, including on missing Americans and on eliminating any remaining chemical weapons. On Thursday, Washington led a vote by the Security Council to remove UN sanctions against him. Formerly affiliated with al-Qaida, Sharaa’s group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, was delisted as a terrorist group by Washington in July. Since taking power, Syria’s new leaders have sought to break from their violent past and present a moderate image more tolerable to ordinary Syrians and foreign powers. Sharaa is expected to seek funds for Syria, which faces significant reconstruction needs.
Cover image source: Syrian President al-Sharaa arrives in U.S. for landmark visit, set to meet Trump 🔗
