logo
welcome
NBC News

NBC News

He toppled a dictator and traded fatigues for a suit — Syria’s new leader tries to reassure the U.S.

NBC News
Summary
Nutrition label

77% Informative

Ahmed al-Sharaa , the de facto leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham , has called for sanctions against Syria to be lifted.

He has also attempted to move away from his past as a jihadist leader with links to Al Qaeda and ISIS .

Sharaa has vowed to usher in an era of change driven by a vision of an inclusive Syria .

Sharaa's track record as a leader in Idlib , where HTS was in control, was relatively positive, U.S. officials have said.

But it’s an open question how he and his allies would fare governing the whole country.

In 2017 , he dissolved the Al-Nusra Front to form HTS , which would maintain power in Idlib .