Trump envoy praises new Syrian president for ‘counter-ISIS measures’

Thomas Barrack also stresses temporary lifting of sanctions for first time since 1979 after meeting with Ahmed al-Sharaa

Donald Trump's old friend Thomas Barrack, now serving as the US ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria, praised Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, after a meeting in Istanbul on Saturday.

I stressed the cessation of sanctions against Syria will preserve the integrity of our primary objective - the enduring defeat of ISIS - and will give the people of Syria a chance for a better future," Barrack said in a statement, referring to actions taken on Friday by the Trump administration to temporarily suspend sanctions imposed on the government of the former president, Bashar al-Assad, who was deposed by rebel forces led by Sharaa late last year.