Washington: Until three days ago, the United States still officially regarded Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria’s president, as a “specially designated global terrorist”.

Following one of the most dramatic rehabilitations in recent memory, the former jihadist was received by US President Donald Trump on Monday (Tuesday AEDT) in what may be the most astonishing meeting ever hosted in the White House.

That Sharaa is the first Syrian president ever to cross the threshold of the West Wing would make the occasion extraordinary enough, not least because he had a $US10 million ($15.3 million) bounty on his head.

A year ago, the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad, toppled by Sharaa’s Islamist rebels last December, was a pariah, ostracised by the West and closely allied to Russia and Iran.

But even that

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