Warm messages from Şara to Trump: We are now allies with the USA

The Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTŞ) organization, a jihadist group controlling the Damascus administration, leader Ahmed Shara, gave an exclusive interview to Fox News after his meeting today in Washington with U.S. President Donald Trump.

The meeting was evaluated as a sign of the process of exit from Syria’s long-standing international isolation, the pursuit of strategic partnership with the U.S., and the transformation in the Middle East. In his statements, Shara detailed these changes.

In his interview, Shara used the phrase “Syria and the U.S. are now allies”, stating that over the past 60 years, Syria had been isolated from the rest of the world, experienced some disconnection with the U.S., but that this situation has now changed.

He also emphasized that for the first time since Syria’s establishment in the 1940s, a president has visited the White House. After the fall of the old regime, “a new era” has begun, and in this context, a new strategy will be developed with the U.S., he said.

FIGHT AGAINST ISIS

Regarding the question, “Have you committed to participating in a coalition to fight ISIS in the Middle East?”, Shara responded, “We participated in many fights against ISIS for 10 years and lost most of my forces in these battles. There are reasons for the U.S. military presence in Syria. Currently, it needs to be coordinated with the Syrian government. Therefore, we need to discuss these issues and reach an understanding about ISIS.”

Another question directed at Shara was, “You were linked to Al-Qaeda. Just 11 months ago, you were declared a foreign terrorist by the U.S. government. You were on the wanted list. What has changed in the U.S.-Syria relations?”

Responding to this, Shara said, “I think this is a matter of the past. Now, we are not actively discussing this issue. We talked with President Trump about the future. We discussed potential investment opportunities in Syria so that Syria will no longer be seen as a security threat. Syria is now considered a geopolitical ally and a place where the U.S. can make significant investments, especially regarding gas extraction.”

IBRAHIM AGREEMENTS

When asked about the Trump administration’s call for Syria to join the Abraham Accords, Shara said, “Syria shares a border with Israel, and Israel has occupied the Golan Heights since 1967. We will not enter direct negotiations at this moment. Perhaps the U.S. administration under President Trump will help us reach such negotiations.”

During the interview, in response to the question about Bashar Assad living a good life in Moscow and not being delivered to justice, el-Shara replied.

LOSSES, CIVILIANS, AND WAR VICTIMS

Shara also mentioned that he met with the family of Austin Tice, an American Marine and journalist abducted in Syria in 2012.

“During the past war, over 250,000 people disappeared in Syria, and we do not know where they are,” Shara emphasized the suffering endured by civilians.

Regarding the question about the September 11 attacks, Shara responded, “At that time, I was only 19 years old, very young, and I had no authority to make any decisions. I have nothing to do with it. There was no Al-Qaeda in my region at that time; you are asking the wrong person. We mourn every civilian who was killed, and we know that people are suffering from the war, especially civilians paying the price for the conflict.”