As U.S. diplomats arrived in Damascus on Friday, Syria's de facto new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa will likely have greeted them with a clear message: Under his rule, there will be no threat to the West.
As his new administration takes charge, he has also called for the United States and other countries to drop sanctions against Syria.
He has also attempted to move away from his past as a jihadist leader with links to both the Islamic State terrorist group and Al Qaeda.
Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani and the head of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebel group.
I think those are big questions," added Stroul, who is now a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Persons:
Syria's, Ahmed al, Sharaa, Abu Mohammad al, Hayat, Bashar al, Assad, ” Sharaa, “, ” Joze Pelayo, ”, Dana Stroul, Biden, Matthew Miller
Organizations:
Syria, BBC, Islamic State, Security Initiative, NBC News, Balkis Press, Defense Department, Washington Institute for Near, ”, ISIS, U.S, Associated Press
Locations:
Damascus, Hayat Tahrir, United States, “, Al Qaeda, Syria, AFP, Washington, Afghanistan, Idlib, Syria’s, Europe, Iraq