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Has President Trump? Raised with you, discussed with you, your own past affiliation with. Al-Qaeda terrorism. I think this is a matter of the past.
Now we did not discuss this actively. We talked about the present and the future. We talked about the investment opportunities in the future in Syria.
So that Syria is no longer looked at as a security threat. It is now looked at as a geopolitical ally and a place where the United States can have great investments, especially extracting gas.
So that was through a translator. That's Ahmed El-Sharra. He's the new president of Syria. And he was at the White House playing basketball with the military. And a lot of people say, well, this guy was in Al-Qaeda.
Why are we doing that? Is it worth the risk? And so far, it's proven worth the risk for someone in this area. Kanta Ahmed joins us now, true Middle East expert, great friend of the show. Great to see you, Doctor.
And your thoughts about the significance of the President's meeting yesterday. Brian, great to see you and happy Veterans' Day. I mean, it's very truthful. His background is from Al Qaeda, Jabat al Nusra, ISIS and then HTS.
So he has this record. But I believe and I learned from speaking to leaders in the region, including General Masloum, the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, and President Nejiban Barzami, President of Iraqi Kurdistan, Syria has no other option right now. And so the international community is supporting to work with him, but President Trump must hold him accountable to protect the minorities. That's non-negotiable. What's happening on the ground, Izzy?
Well, at the moment there is a degree of tension. We don't really know how this is going to turn out. Northeast Syria, which is under the protection of the Syrian Democratic Forces with allied with the United States, Not only are the minorities protected there, the Kurds, the Christians, the Yazidis, secular Muslim Arabs that are not Islamists. but they're also fleeing from the area where the Druze were threatened in the southwest.
So refugees are beginning to come in there. In major parts of Syria, there's lawlessness, instability and areas where extremists, including ISIS, can roam. Wow, that's important to point out. I don't know how big his army is, how much it's extended, but he doesn't have full control of his country. Is that safe to say?
Yeah, that's true. And what I heard is he has approximately 50,000 people under his command. He's gathered a very elite group that he trusts around himself, not exactly an inclusive cabinet.
So that's worrying to Syria that's pluralist, full of all these other ethnicities and religions. And below ranks, they are outright jihadists, and they don't hide their extremism. That's what I learned on the ground.
So why is he visiting Moscow?
Well, Russia had a major influence in Syria, if you recall. Russia also, I think, still holds those bases on the coastal region. And at the moment, what we're seeing is a huge global competition for influence in Syria, foremost Turkey. While Al-Shara met with President Trump, the Foreign Minister of Turkey was also in the building, presumably attending meetings. And Saudi Arabia is also exercising influence.
If the US doesn't have a big footprint, China and Russia will move back in, and the goal is to keep Iran out, which is still trying to make inroads. But do you think it's possible? These guys hate each other. We know Iran single-handedly sustained Assad along with Russia, and I'm sure he's very aware of that, correct? I understand that, but as you pointed out, Al-Shara doesn't yet have governance to every element of the society.
There can be no powerful government there unless it's fully decentralized. That's another very important message from the region. That means the provinces where the minorities live must have their local government interact with the central government. Iran, I am told by sources, is still in contact with ex-Assad regime military leaders and trying to recreate smuggling groups and resurrect its proxy groups, which is a hazard for Israel and the United States and the Syrian Democratic Speaker. And we could, if you know it too, Doctor, you know that the U.S.
can really be of help there. And they really want our presence to remain in Syria, right? Absolutely. And in fact, when I went there by road and met General Masloum, the Syrian Democratic Forces are so grateful for the United States. It was so welcoming to be there as an American.
And that is what the United States needs to do. There's talk that there will be an American base maybe built in Damascus. But the US has to have a big footprint in northeast Syria, which it can manage from Erbil, where we're very well established in northern Iraq and where American troops not only are welcome They have never lost a single American soldier in Iraqi Kurdistan. In fact, they go there to vacation.
So here's what uh when this is what he said when asked about taking out ISIS. Cut 28. Did you commit to having the country join the coalition to fight ISIS in the Middle East? We participated in so many battles against Daesh, against ISIS for ten years, and we have suffered a lot during these battles, and I have lost much of my forces in the battles against ISIS. The reasons for the presence of the United States militarily in Syria needs to be with the coordination with the Syrian government right now.
So we need to discuss these matters and we need to talk about and get into an agreement about ISIS. And I guess they did sign a declaration to join the global coalition against the Islamic State.
So it's interesting I was there about 10 days ago. Both the President Bazani of Iraqi Kurdistan and General Mazloum explained that this was being discussed, and they were in support of that. It holds him accountable to an international body. ISIS is a threat. There are at least 2,500 fighters that are loose.
In Syria, and also the Syrian Democratic Forces protect both the Al-Hol camp, which is home to the ISIS wives and children, the camp that I visited. Full of generations of radicalized extremist families and 10,000 ISIS fighters. That's stable there because of US partnership with the SDF. And so those fighters need to be very carefully contained, and those families.
So it looks like Hezbollah has gotten about $1 billion from Iran since we struck their nuclear plants, since they've been beaten up by the IDF. Your real thought, 30 seconds, Dr. Ahmed, your thoughts on that? Pezpola is down but not out. And also, I want Americans to pay attention to Iraq.
Because there are Iranian-backed militias in Iraq that are also a huge threat. They've sort of kept a low profile and they've been unscathed by Israel so far.
So these problems are not fully eliminated, and Israel needs to be supported by the United States to keep Iran's parents off. You got it. Iran's a problem, whether it's Iraq. or Lebanon, they are still the problem. Thanks so much, Dr.
Ahmed. It's Will Tane Country. Watch it live at noon Eastern Monday through Thursday at FoxNews.com or on the Fox News YouTube channel. And don't miss the show. Listen and follow the podcast five days a week at FoxnewsPodcasts.com or wherever you download your favorite podcasts.
