WASHINGTON: Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa met US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday for unprecedented talks, just days after Washington removed him from a terrorism blacklist. Sharaa, whose opposition forces ousted longtime ruler Bashar Assad late last year, is the first Syrian leader to visit the White House since the country’s 1946 independence. Formerly affiliated with Al-Qaeda, Sharaa’s group, Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), was itself only delisted as a terrorist group by Washington in July. Sharaa himself was taken off the list on Friday.

US has rolled back sanctions that could complicate Syria's efforts to rebuild following years of devastating civil war.

The Syrian leader will meet the US President at the White House on Monday for security talks.