On November 10, 2025, Donald Trump, until recently one of America’s most wanted enemies, will be welcomed into the White House with full honors. Ahmed Hussein Al-Sharah, better known as Abu Mohammad Al … Jolani received a $10 million reward for his capture and was placed on a list of all international terrorists, along with leaders of the Islamic State and al-Qaeda.
Al-Sharah He was a veteran of the Iraqi insurgency against American forces. members of al-Qaeda in Iraq, A prisoner at Abu Ghraib and other maximum-security prisons, he is the founder of Syria’s al-Nusra Front, an organization founded with direct support from al-Qaeda and responsible for some of the bloodiest episodes of the Syrian civil war.
U.S. intelligence agencies have shown that he is involved in suicide bombings such as al-Midan in 2012, the deadliest bombing of Damascus in 2012 and 2013, sectarian massacres such as Hatra and Zara’a, Shiites, Alawites, Christians, and Druze. It considers itself to be the political and military head of an organization accused of ethnic cleansing of the community and attacks on Shiite civilians in Lebanon, including a double attack in Tripoli and attacks on Shiite civilians in Lebanon. Iranian Embassy in Beirut. In 2014, he even publicly threatened to make war the “heart and soul” of America. If they continue to bomb Syria, and their allies too.
He is now in Washington, protected by the Secret Service and ready to negotiate with Trump under the protection of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has personally interceded for him. His visit completed an unusual and calculated transformation of his image from a persecuted jihadist commander to a legitimate interlocutor of the forces that had previously fought him.
In 2013, the US State Department stated it in no uncertain terms: “The violent and sectarian vision of al-Jolani and his Nusra Front is incompatible with the aspirations of the Syrian people. The overwhelming majority of the opposition calls for a free, democratic and inclusive Syria. A government that respects the unity, dignity, human rights, and equality of the people under the law, regardless of faith, ethnicity, or gender. The US government subsequently warned that “extremism and terrorist ideology have no place in a post-al-Assad Syria” and called on “all responsible Syrians” to denounce al-Qaeda and its affiliates.
Mr. Al-Shara arrived in the United States on Saturday for a historic official visit.
This is the first visit to Washington by a Syrian president since Syria gained independence in 1946. His visit came a day after the State Department removed him from its terrorist list, a move that reflects a shift in policy toward Damascus since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. The U.S. government justified its decision by citing the new Syrian government’s progress in finding missing Americans and cooperating to remove chemical weapons.
According to diplomatic sources, the U.S. Plans to establish a military base near Damascus Coordinating humanitarian aid and monitoring Syria-Israel relations. US Special Envoy Tom Barrack has announced that Syrian leaders may sign a deal to incorporate their country into the international coalition against Islamic State in a bid to strengthen its image as a regional security partner and break with its jihadist past.
This meeting marks the climax of Al Shara’s transformation. The United Nations lifted sanctions against him days before his visit, and his former group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, was removed from the U.S. list of terrorist organizations in July. In North American diplomacy, the visit is interpreted as the culmination of a political reconstruction process and an expression of the interest of President Trump and his allies, especially Saudi Arabia, in integrating the new Syria into the postwar regional order.
Upon arriving in the United States, al-Shara appeared in a video broadcast on social networks playing basketball with Admiral Brad Cooper and Kevin Lambert, commander of the US Central Command. Head of the United Nations coalition against the Islamic State in Iraq. This withdrawal was interpreted as a calculated sign of normalization. The man who fought with U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria and led a faction designated as terrorists now appeared to be laughing and sharing the battlefield with the same commanders who led the war against his organization.
He was captured by US forces in Iraq
He is accused of being a member of al-Qaeda and participating in a rebellion against the occupation, including the use of explosives. After being arrested while planting a bomb and using a false name to convince Iraqi authorities that he was a local, he spent more than five years as a prisoner in various detention centers, including Abu Ghraib, Camp Bucca, Camp Cropper, and Camp Taji, without any knowledge of normal judicial proceedings against him.
The last meeting between Mr. Trump and Mr. Al Sharah took place on May 14, 2025 in Riyadh. The US President is on a tour of the Middle East. The meeting, hosted by the Saudi crown prince and closed to the press, served to announce the lifting of U.S. sanctions on Syria, a gesture celebrated by Gulf monarchies seeking investment to rebuild the country after more than a decade of civil war.
Trump also said al-Shalah is a “handsome, tough guy with a strong past” who has a “real opportunity to stabilize Syria.” At the request of Saudi Arabia and Turkey, the American president agreed to remove his name and his government’s name from the sanctions list, encouraging compliance with the Abraham Accords and normalizing relations with Israel. The US government said the move was aimed at preventing Damascus from becoming dependent on Russia or Iran again.
That encounter marked the beginning of his international rehabilitation. Al-Shara’s image changed rapidly. From rebel commander to former jihadist to potential partner in regional security. Since then, Syria has begun hosting Arab and European economic delegations, and diplomatic channels have been opened, currently culminating in an official visit by the president to the White House.
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