Syria's Ahmad al-Sharaa has transformed himself from al-Qaida militant to Syrian president in a dramatic political rise capped on Wednesday by a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.
The encounter in Saudi Arabia is a milestone for a man who joined al-Qaida in Iraq around the time of the 2003 U.S.-led invasion and spent years in U.S. prison there before returning to Syria to join the insurgency against Bashar Assad. The meeting — following Trump's announcement of an end to U.S. sanctions on Syria — is a huge boost for al-Sharaa as he tries to bring the fractured country under his control and revive its economy, and Trump said he was looking to normalize ties with Damascus.
"He's got the potential — he's a real leader," Trump told reporters on Air Force One after meeting al-Sharaa, whom he described as a young, attractive guy with a very strong past. "He's got a real shot at holding it together," Trump said.
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