Syria joins anti-ISIL alliance after landmark White House talks

WASHINGTON

In this photo released by Syrian Presidency press office, President Donald Trump, left, shakes hands with Syria's President Ahmad al-Sharaa, at the White House in Washington.

Syria is joining the global coalition against the ISIL terrorist organization, a U.S. official has said hours after President Donald Trump welcomed his Syrian counterpart Ahmad al-Sharaa for historic White House talks.

Sharaa, whose rebel forces ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad late last year, was the first Syrian leader to visit the White House since the Middle Eastern country's independence in 1946.

But the 43-year-old's landmark visit to the Oval Office came just days after Washington removed him from its terrorism list.

"During the visit, Syria announced that it is joining the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIL," becoming the 90th member of the alliance and "partnering with the United States to eliminate ISIL remnants and halt foreign fighter flows," a senior administration official said.

According to the official, Syria will also be allowed to resume diplomatic relations with Washington "to further counterterrorism, security and economic coordination."

yria recently signed a political cooperation declaration with the Global Coalition to Defeat Islamic State, the Syrian information minister said in a post on X post on Monday.

"The agreement is political and until now contains no military components," he said.

U.S. supported the YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), citing efforts against ISIL in Syria. The Damascus-Washington deal paved the way of sidelining SDF, according to analyst.

Trump and Sharaa reaffirmed implementation of the March 10 Agreement and integration of SDF forces into the Syrian state during their White House meeting, Damascus announced.

Trump said he wanted Syria to become "very successful" after more than a decade of civil war and added that he believed Sharaa "can do it, I really do."

"He's a very strong leader. He comes from a very tough place, and he's a tough guy," Trump told reporters after the meeting, which was closed to press.

"People said he's had a rough past, we've all had rough pasts... And I think, frankly, if you didn't have a rough past, you wouldn't have a chance."

Trump said Syria was a "big part" of his plan for a wider Middle East peace plan, which the US president is hoping will prop up the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

"Having a stable and successful Syria is very important to all countries in the Region," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform after the meeting.

Despite this, Trump would not confirm reports that Syria would sign any non-aggression pact with long-term foe Israel.

Afterwards Sharaa was interviewed by broadcaster Fox News, saying Syria's ongoing dispute with Israel over the Golan Heights territory would make entering peace talks difficult now. But he suggested talks facilitated by Trump and Washington could help start negotiations.