Trump praises Syrian leader Sharaa after offensive in Kurdish area
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US President Dondald Trump had ended sanctions and taken steps to boost Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (pictured), who traded his guerrilla attire for a business suit.
PHOTO: REUTERS
WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump said on Jan 27 he spoke to Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa and was pleased by developments on the ground, after an offensive by Damascus against Kurdish fighters long backed by Washington.
The two spoke by telephone a day before the Syrian leader was to visit Russia, the key backer of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, toppled in late 2024 by Mr Sharaa’s Islamist forces.
“I had a great conversation with the highly respected president of Syria, and all of the things having to do with Syria and that area,” Mr Trump told reporters.
“It’s working out very well, so we’re very happy about it.”
Mr Trump’s show of support contrasts with earlier threats by one of his key backers in Congress, Senator Lindsey Graham, to reimpose sanctions on Syria in response to the recent offensive.
Shifting away from his threats, Mr Graham on Jan 26 instead credited Mr Trump with restoring stability and demanded that Saudi Arabia use its influence on Syria to “keep the region from falling further into chaos”.
Syria’s national army launched the operation to regain control over the country’s north and east, where Kurdish fighters had created a de facto separate state during the brutal civil war, before reaching a fragile ceasefire.
Mr Sharaa told Mr Trump of “Syria’s full commitment to its territorial integrity and its national sovereignty and the state’s keenness to preserve its institutions and promote civil peace”, according to a statement by the Syrian presidency.
The United States had allied with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces beginning more than a decade ago to fight the Islamic State extremist group, which had gained control over vast swathes of Syria and Iraq.
But Trump envoy Tom Barrack said in January that the partnership had outlived its usefulness and backed the Syrian government’s efforts.
The United States has since helped move Islamic State prisoners held for years by the Syrian Democratic Forces to across the border in Iraq.
Mr Trump has ended sanctions and taken other steps to boost Mr Sharaa, who has traded his guerrilla attire for a business suit, at the urging of Mr Sharaa’s allies Saudi Arabia and Turkey, and despite misgivings by Israel. AFP
