From al-Qaeda Commander to State Guest: What’s Behind the Merz-al-Sharaa Deal

Germany · Syria

Chancellor Merz hosts Syria’s transitional president in Berlin. The agenda: mass returns, reconstruction and €200 million. But who is the man Germany is shaking hands with, and what does it mean for nearly one million Syrians living in Germany?

By Luca C · March 30, 2026 · Sources: Tagesspiegel, ZDF, t-online, Euronews, Britannica

Ahmed al-Sharaa sat down for lunch with Friedrich Merz at the German Chancellery today. Three years ago, this would have been unthinkable. The man now touring European capitals as Syria’s transitional president was, until recently, on the terror lists of both the United States and the United Nations. Today he is signing joint work programmes with the German chancellor.

The outcome of the meeting is concrete. At a joint press conference, Merz and al-Sharaa announced the creation of a bilateral taskforce. The goal: 80 percent of the roughly 940,000 Syrians living in Germany should return home within three years. Germany will provide over €200 million in reconstruction aid this year. A German delegation is set to travel to Syria within days.

Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told a German-Syrian business forum at the Foreign Ministry that Germany intends to play a major role in reconstruction. Around 40 German companies attended. Economy Minister Katherina Reiche highlighted opportunities in energy, construction, mechanical engineering and security technology. Al-Sharaa described the destruction in his country after 14 years of civil war as „gigantic“, but pitched Syria as a „safe haven for supply chains“ and a „major infrastructure investment opportunity“ (ZDF).

Who is Ahmed al-Sharaa?

To understand why this visit is so controversial, you need to know the 43-year-old’s biography. Ahmed al-Sharaa, long known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Julani, was born in Riyadh in 1982 and grew up in Damascus. In the early 2000s he joined al-Qaeda in Iraq and fought against American forces. From 2006 to 2011 he was held in US detention.

After his release, he received orders from al-Qaeda chief al-Zawahiri and $50,000 from future ISIS leader al-Baghdadi to establish an al-Qaeda branch in Syria. In 2012, he founded the al-Nusra Front, which quickly became the most powerful Islamist militia in the Syrian civil war.

What followed the break with al-Qaeda is the story of a remarkable transformation. In 2017, al-Sharaa merged several militias into Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). In Idlib province, HTS built its own governing structure: tax system, schools, courts. In late November 2024, HTS launched an offensive that brought down the Assad regime in just two weeks. In January 2025, al-Sharaa became transitional president.

Since then, he has traded the combat fatigues for a suit and tie. The US removed HTS from its terror list in July 2025, Britain followed in October, the UN in February 2026. Al-Sharaa has been received by Macron in Paris, by Trump at the White House, and became the first Syrian president ever hosted by an American president.

What is happening on the ground

While handshakes are exchanged in Berlin, the reality in Syria looks different. In Latakia province, hundreds of Alawites have been killed since the regime change. In the summer of 2025, fierce clashes between Druze and Sunni Bedouins in Sweida left thousands dead. Just last weekend, armed Islamists attacked Christian shops in Suqaylabiyah in Hama province and attempted to set houses on fire.

The Kurdish Community of Germany accuses al-Sharaa of human rights violations, war crimes and crimes against humanity. In northern and northeastern Syria, government forces have driven Kurdish fighters from several areas they previously controlled. Linke MP Cansu Özdemir called the meeting a „moral bankruptcy“, accusing Merz of normalizing Islamists who massacre ethnic and religious minorities.

In Berlin, thousands demonstrated both for and against the Syrian president. At the Ritz-Carlton hotel where al-Sharaa stayed, he was reportedly cheered by members of the Syrian community the evening before, according to German media reports.

The calculation behind the deal

The German government makes no secret of what it wants: accelerate deportations. The return of Syrian refugees is written into the coalition agreement between the CDU/CSU and SPD. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt also met al-Sharaa, with a focus on deporting convicted criminals. Al-Sharaa needs money and international recognition, Merz needs results. The deal is simple: Germany invests, Syria takes people back.

Al-Sharaa framed it more diplomatically: Syrian refugees could become „bridge builders“ between the two countries. Those who want to return can do so. Merz emphasized that skilled workers like doctors and engineers could stay. For the rest, his language was sharper: anyone who „abuses Germany’s hospitality“ and breaks the law will leave.

Civil society is demanding conditions. Sophie Bischoff of the German-Syrian organization Adopt a Revolution says the dialogue is „fundamentally right“, but any support must be tied to the protection of all societal groups. Germany must demand democratic institutions and recognize Syrian civil society as a partner, „not just as decoration“.

Assessment

There are good reasons to talk to al-Sharaa. After 14 years of civil war and an estimated 500,000 dead, Syria is a devastated country. Reconstruction requires international support, and a stable Syria is in Europe’s interest. Al-Sharaa has managed to get sanctions lifted, built a governing administration and opened the country to the West. One can see this as a pragmatic evolution.

But the speed at which a former al-Qaeda commander is being received for a state visit at the Chancellery should give everyone pause. Not because dialogue is wrong, but because the conditions need to be right. Pushing 80 percent of Syrians in Germany to return is an ambitious target. If that return leads to a country where minorities are persecuted, Kurds are driven from their homes and Christians are attacked, it is not a solution but a displacement of the problem.

Wadephul himself saw what Syria looks like when he visited in autumn 2025. A few months later, his government is signing a return programme. The central question is not whether Germany cooperates with Syria. The question is whether the people who return can live in safety and dignity. As long as armed groups attack minorities and the government fails to prevent it, that question remains unanswered.

Germany has a responsibility towards the nearly one million Syrians who sought protection here. That responsibility does not end with a taskforce and a work programme. It ends only when it is clear that no one is being sent back into oppression.