Following a surreal turn of events in September 2025, retired General David Petraeus called Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, now styling himself as Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, one of his "many fans". This occurred as Petraeus interviewed al-Sharaa at the Concordia Annual Summit in New York. Petraeus's comment generated widespread disbelief and outrage, given al-Sharaa's past as an al-Qaeda leader with a U.S. government bounty on his head.
Key details of the event and its context include:
- Controversial Interview: In the interview, Petraeus also expressed concern that al-Sharaa was not "getting enough sleep at night," a comment widely mocked on social media.
- Bounty and History: When al-Sharaa was an al-Qaeda militant fighting U.S. forces in Iraq, Petraeus led the U.S. troop "surge" that saw al-Sharaa imprisoned by American forces. The U.S. State Department had offered a $10 million bounty for al-Sharaa, then the leader of the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front, until his group was officially delisted as a terrorist organization in December 2024.
- Dramatic Trajectory: Petraeus praised al-Sharaa's "dramatic political transformation" from insurgent leader to head of state. In turn, al-Sharaa remarked that it was good that they had moved from a "battlefield" to a "theater of dialogue".
- Background to Engagement: Observers note that this moment followed years of increasingly controversial U.S. policy in Syria. Reporting suggests that during his time as CIA Director, Petraeus supported the covert arming of al-Qaeda affiliates in Syria, including al-Nusra, under the flawed assumption they could be turned into strategic partners. Critics have long warned that arming jihadists would lead to the empowerment of extremists, a scenario they say culminated with al-Sharaa's rise to power.
- Syrian President al-Sharaa sits down with US general who ...
Sep 23, 2025 — Syrian President al-Sharaa sits down with US general who arrested him. David Petraeus led American forces during the invasion of Iraq and later became the director of the CIA and the architect of Operation Timber Sycamore to arm jihadist rebels in Syria.
Al Jazeera
- Syrian President al-Sharaa sits down with US general who arrested him...
Sep 23, 2025 — Why is Petraeus a 'fan' of al-Sharaa? The former US general not only acknowledged the odd pairing but used it to praise al-Sharaa, who has set an October date for parliamentary elections...
Yahoo
|
