To: Les H who wrote (47931 ) 9/23/2025 1:51:31 PM From: Les H Read Replies (1) | Respond to 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. 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 ...Al Jazeera Syrian President al-Sharaa sits down with US general who arrested him...Yahoo
