US removes Syrian president from global ‘terrorist’ sanctions list

US has rolled backmost sanctions that could complicate Syria’s efforts to rebuild pursuing years of devastating civilian war.

The United States has removed Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa from a “terrorist” sanctions database earlier a gathering betwixt the country’s caller person and President Donald Trump adjacent week.

The US Department of the Treasury removed al-Sharaa, a erstwhile combatant linked to al-Qaeda, from the Specially Designated Global Terrorist database connected Friday. The United Nations Security Council besides removed al-Sharaa from a mostly symbolic sanctions database connected Thursday.

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The authoritative removal of al-Sharaa from the database is the latest determination meant to region potential barriers to Syria’s pursuit of economical and governmental integration aft years of devastating civilian warfare and erstwhile person Bashar al-Assad’s removal from powerfulness successful December 2024.

Washington and the UN besides removed Anas Hasan Khattab, a erstwhile combatant linked to al-Qaeda but present serving arsenic Syria’s interior minister, from the list.

“With the adoption of this text, the assembly is sending a beardown governmental awesome that recognises Syria is successful a caller epoch since Assad and his associates were toppled successful December 2024,” Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN, said successful his connection aft the UNSC ballot connected Thursday.

The US president is expected to host al-Sharaa, who, arsenic a erstwhile fighter, erstwhile battled US troops successful Iraq, astatine the White House connected November 10, the archetypal Syrian president to marque the trip.

Trump met al-Sharaa for the archetypal clip successful May during a acme successful Saudi Arabia, wherever helium announced an extremity to immoderate US sanctions connected Syria enactment successful spot during the Assad authorities that immoderate analysts said would person made it hard for the state to rebuild its economy.

The US Congress has said it is moving to repeal further sanctions connected Syria that stay successful place, with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee welcoming the removal of UN sanctions and saying it was clip to “bring the Syrian system into the 21st century”.