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Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa will travel to Washington on Nov. 10 to sign documents formally bringing Syria into the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State, marking the first time a Syrian head of state has visited the White House.
Tom Barrack, the U.S. special envoy to Syria and ambassador to Türkiye, announced the planned visit Saturday while speaking to reporters at the Manama Dialogue conference in Bahrain. He said Syria would "hopefully" join the coalition during the visit, which will include a meeting between al-Sharaa and President Donald Trump.
The development follows weeks of diplomatic contacts conducted through Barrack's office to formalize Syria's membership in the anti-Daesh alliance.
The visit represents a dramatic shift in U.S.-Syria relations. Syria has remained outside the coalition since its formation in 2014, when the terrorist group controlled approximately one-third of Syrian and Iraqi territory. The coalition and its regional partners successfully expelled Daesh from its final stronghold in 2019.l
Al-Sharaa, who took power after ousting Bashar al-Assad last December, has embarked on an international diplomatic campaign as his transitional government works to restore Syria's standing with nations that isolated Damascus under Assad's rule. He previously addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September, his first trip to the United States as president.
The timing of Syria's potential coalition membership comes as Daesh attempts to capitalize on the power vacuum left by Assad's fall. The group has sought to rebuild its presence across Syria and Iraq in recent months, according to sources.
The Manama Dialogue, where Barrack made the announcement, is an annual conference focused on global security and geopolitical issues.
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