Washington:President Donald Trump is hosting Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House on Monday, welcoming the once-pariah state into a US-led global coalition to fight the Islamic State group.

It's the first visit to the White House by a Syrian head of state since the Middle Eastern country gained independence from France in 1946 and comes after the US lifted sanctions imposed on Syria during the decades the country was ruled by the Assad family.

Al-Sharaa led the rebel forces that toppled former Syrian President Bashar Assad last December and was named the country's interim leader in January.

Trump and al-Sharaa — who once had ties to al-Qaida and had a $10 million US bounty on his head — first met in May in Saudi Arabia.

At the time, the US president described al-Sharaa as a "young, attractive guy. Tough guy. Strong past, very strong past. Fighter." It was the first official encounter between the US and Syria since 2000, when former President Bill Clinton met with Hafez Assad, the father of Bashar Assad.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday's visit is “part of the president's efforts in diplomacy to meet with anyone around the world in the pursuit of peace.”

Source:Ndtv