"Long-time observers of politics in the Middle East called it a "surreal" moment. Syria's interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, who formerly fought with al-Qaeda and was jailed by the US as a terrorist, was welcomed at the White House by US President Donald Trump even if he and his delegation did arrive for the meeting through a side door. Also surreal for some: The fact that a former al-Qaeda member would then also sign his country up to the global coalition fighting the extremist "Islamic State" group."
"The "Islamic State," or "IS," group was originally an offshoot of al-Qaeda in Iraq. But in fact, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the militia group al-Sharaa eventually formed actually split from al-Qaeda in 2016, and focused more on fighting the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar Assad. The militia, known as HTS, was also opposed to the "IS" group and battled it inside Syria for years."
"So, Syria becoming the 90th member of what is officially called the Global Coalition against Daesh (the organization uses the Arabic acronym for the "IS" group) actually makes sense. It is also a logical move because "IS" remains a threat inside Syria. Between 2,500 and 3,000 "IS" loyalists are still in Syria and in the year since the Assad regime was ousted, they have increased their activities. "[The 'IS' group] thrives on instability and chaos," Tanya Mehra, a researcher at the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism, or ICCT, in the Netherlands, wrote in a recent opinion piece."
Syria's interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda fighter once jailed by the United States, met President Donald Trump and signed Syria onto the Global Coalition against Daesh. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the militia al-Sharaa formed, split from al-Qaeda in 2016 and prioritized fighting Bashar Assad's regime while opposing and battling the Islamic State inside Syria. Syria became the coalition's 90th member, joining neighbors and Western organizations, and US fighter jets have been deployed against IS. Islamic State remains active in Syria, with an estimated 2,500–3,000 loyalists and rising attacks since the Assad regime was ousted.
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