The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday removed al-Shara, a former militant with ties to al-Qaeda, from the Specially Designated Global Terrorist List. The United Nations Security Council also removed al-Shara from its list of largely symbolic sanctions on Thursday.
Al-Shara’s formal removal from the list is the latest step aimed at removing potential obstacles to Syria’s pursuit of economic and political integration after years of devastating civil war and the ouster of former leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
The U.S. government and the United Nations also removed Anas Hassan Khattab, a former al-Qaeda-linked fighter and current Syrian interior minister, from the list.
“With the adoption of this document, the Security Council is sending a strong political signal recognizing that Syria has entered a new era since the overthrow of President Assad and his associates in December 2024,” U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Walz said in a statement after Thursday’s Security Council vote.
The US president is scheduled to welcome al-Shalah, a former combatant who once fought with US forces in Iraq, to the White House on November 10, making it the first visit by a Syrian president.
President Trump first spoke with al-Sharaa at a summit in Saudi Arabia in May, where he announced a partial lifting of sanctions against Syria imposed during the Assad regime that some analysts say have made rebuilding the country’s economy difficult.
The U.S. Congress said it was working to lift ongoing sanctions against Syria, and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee welcomed the lifting of U.N. sanctions, saying it was time to “bring Syria’s economy into the 21st century.”
RHM/