Syria
A man holds a Syrian flag across the street from the White House after Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa met with US president Donald Trump. Photo: AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syria has officially become the 90th member of the United States-led global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS), the US embassy in Damascus announced on Tuesday.
In a statement on X, the embassy said "Syria has officially become the 90th partner to join the international coalition to defeat ISIS," describing it as "a pivotal moment in the history of Syria and the global war against terrorism."
Syria’s accession to the coalition came after a landmark meeting between Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and US President Donald Trump on Monday, marking the first visit by a Syrian leader in 80 years.
Mazloum Abdi, leader of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), commended the country’s accession to the coalition as a “pivotal step towards enhancing collaborative efforts and bolstering the initiatives aimed at achieving the enduring defeat of ISIS and eliminating its threat to the region."
Abdi expressed on X his gratitude to President Trump, thanking him for his leadership on Syria and for “giving the Syrian people a chance for greatness.”
He also said he had "a wonderful phone call" with US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack to discuss the outcomes of Sharaa's meeting in the White House and their commitment "to accelerate the integration of the SDF into the Syrian state.”
Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December, SDF’s Abdi signed a landmark deal with Sharaa in March that seeks to integrate all civil and military institutions in Rojava into the Syrian state apparatus.
The SDF is the de facto military force of Rojava. The force has been the main ally of the US-led global coalition against ISIS on the ground in Syria over the past decade.
Syrian Kurds, Alawites and Druze have called for the establishment of a federal government in Damascus. The transitional government initially rejected any form of decentralization but later softened its tone.
Syria’s Information Minister Hamza al-Mustafa said his country’s membership in the anti-ISIS coalition brings “direct gains for Syria,” strengthening its security and international cooperation, while helping “eliminate reasons for the continued presence of foreign forces” and “open the door for enhanced regional cooperation.”
Following his meeting with Sharaa, President Trump reaffirmed his country’s commitment to "making Syria successful” as part of broader efforts to promote peace in the Middle East.
“We'll do everything we can to make Syria successful because it's part of the Middle East,” adding that the region now enjoys “peace… for the first time that anyone can remember,” Trump told reporters at the Oval Office.
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