Formerly aligned with al-Qaida with a U.S. bounty on his head, Ahmed al-Sharaa became Syria's president after leading the rebels who toppled the country's authoritarian Assad regime.

Sharaa appeared outside the White House on Monday (November 10) after meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.

The president’s meeting with Ahmed al-Sharaa is the first-ever visit by a Syrian head of state to the White House.

Syria’s foreign ministry, in a statement, described the meeting between President Trump and Al-Sharaa as 'friendly and constructive.'

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with President Donald Trump Monday in the White House. Trump paused sanctions on Syria for six months.

U.S. President Donald Trump vowed on Monday to do everything he can to make Syria successful after landmark talks with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former al Qaeda commander who until recently was sanctioned by Washington as a foreign terrorist.

The visit marked the first time a Syrian president has ever visited the White House and is viewed as a crucial first step in normalizing U.S.-Syria relations. The White House did not allow reporters and cameras access to the meeting.

President Donald Trump hosted Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa at the White House on Monday, welcoming the once-pariah state into a U.S.-led global coalition to fight the Islamic State group. Al-Sharaa arrived at the White House around 11:30 a.