Syrian President Ahmed Sharaa has arrived in Washington for an official visit, just two days after the US formally revoked his status as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.
The former Islamist militant will meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, 11 months after his rebel alliance ousted Bashar al-Assad.
Hours before his arrival in the US capital, it was announced that Syrian security services had detained dozens of suspected members of the so-called Islamic State group.
Joint efforts to tackle the remnants of the group in Syria are expected to be high on the agenda during Sharaa's talks with Trump.
Syrian authorities reported the arrest of 71 suspected members of the group, with weapons and explosives seized in the process.
Since taking power, Sharaa has sought to reestablish Syria's presence on the world stage after decades of isolation under the Assad regime and 13 years of civil war.
He addressed the UN General Assembly in September, advocating for the removal of sanctions imposed on Syria while claiming that the country was reclaiming its rightful place among the nations of the world.
Earlier this week, the UN Security Council backed a US resolution to lift sanctions, coinciding with Washington's gradual easing of measures against Syria and its new leadership.
On Friday, Sharaa and his interior minister, Anas Hasan Khattab, were removed from a US register of individuals suspected of supporting or funding extremist groups, a decision deemed a recognition of the progress shown by the Syrian leadership.
Sharaa had been listed under the name Muhammad al-Jawlani, the alias used as leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which was affiliated with al-Qaeda until 2016 when he severed ties with the group.
Prior to leading HTS, Sharaa fought for al-Qaeda in Iraq and was imprisoned by US forces, at one point carrying a bounty of $10 million on his head.
The US lifted its sanctions on HTS earlier this year.
Trump met Sharaa in May during a visit to Riyadh, referring to him as a tough guy with a very strong past.
Despite his controversial background, Sharaa has gained the support of governments previously opposed to the Assad regime by pledging to lead a moderate government capable of uniting Syria's diverse ethnic groups and factions.
This year, he asserted his intention to eliminate elements of his security forces accused of executing members of Syria's Alawite minority.
In recent months, deadly violence has erupted between Sunni Bedouin tribal fighters and Druze militias, raising questions over the capacity of the HTS-led government to restore stability in a nation scarred by a decade-long conflict.
