Ahmed al-Sharaa Fast Facts
CNN Editorial Research
(CNN) — Here is a look at the life of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Personal
Birth date: 1982
Birth place: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Birth name: Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa
Father: Hussein al-Sharaa
Mother: Name unavailable publicly
Marriage: Latifa al-Droubi (2012-present)
Children: Three children
Religion: Muslim
Other Facts
His family moved back to Syria in 1989, and he grew up in Damascus.
Went by the pseudonym Abu Mohammad al-Jolani for many years.
Timeline
2003 – Goes to Iraq to fight against the United States.
2005 – Caught by US forces and imprisoned.
2011 – He is released from detention. He crosses back into Syria and starts fighting against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, which has crushed a peaceful pro-democracy uprising, sparking a civil war. He returns to Syria with the backing of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who would later become the leader of ISIS. The militant group Jabhat al-Nusra is formed.
December 2012 – The US State Department designates Jabhat al-Nusra a foreign terrorist organization.
May 2013 – Placed on the US Specially Designated Global Terrorist list for heading al-Nusra and allegedly orchestrating suicide bombings across Syria.
2016 – Jabhat al-Nusra breaks ties with al-Qaeda.
January 2017 – Jabhat al-Nusra becomes Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
2021 – Gives an interview to Frontline for their documentary about him.
November 27, 2024 – Rebel groups, led by HTS, launch an offensive against the Assad regime.
November 30, 2024 – HTS launches a surprise attack and takes control of Syria’s largest city Aleppo.
December 5, 2024 – In an interview with CNN, Al-Sharaa publicly uses his real name for the first time instead of the name Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, by which he is widely known. He makes it clear that the goal of HTS is to overthrow President Assad.
December 8, 2024 – Syrian rebels declare the capital of Damascus “liberated” after entering the city with little resistance from regime forces. Assad flees to Moscow. Al-Sharaa addresses Syrians, saying “This victory, my brothers, is a victory for the entire Islamic nation. This new triumph, my brothers, marks a new chapter in the history of the region.”
December 20, 2024 – Following a meeting between Al-Sharaa and US delegates, the United States removes the long-standing $10 million bounty on the de-facto leader of Syria.
January 29, 2025 – Named president of Syria’s interim government.
March 10, 2025 – Signs an agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to bring the Kurdish-led militia into the government’s fold in exchange for guarantees that Kurds would enjoy full and equal rights as Syrian citizens.
May 14, 2025 – Meets with US President Donald Trump in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The first meeting between a US and Syrian president in 25 years. A day earlier, Trump announced the removal of decades-old sanctions on Syria.
September 24, 2025 – Addresses the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The first Syrian leader to do so in almost 60 years.
November 10, 2025 – Meets with President Trump at the White House. The first ever visit to the White House by a Syrian head of state.
November 11, 2025 – Syria’s minister of information, Hamza al-Mustafa, says Syria has joined the US-led international coalition to combat ISIS.
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