Trump’s Terror Support Rebounds

US President Donald Trump is blaming former POTUS Barack Obama for the rise of ISIS. ISIS was energized, trained and armed in Turkey under US and British instructors before being unleashed in Iraq and Syria. But the US was also airdropping arms and ammunition for both ISIS and Al-Qaeda in that region. During Trump’s first presidency, ISIS was operating in Afghanistan in conjunction with US Special Forces (photographic evidence of which exists), inducted into Afghanistan via Pakistan, which Trump was then lambasting for harbouring and exporting terrorism, but is embracing now. 

It is already in public domain that the handover of Afghanistan to the Taliban, after 20-years of US presence in Afghanistan, was crafted between the US and Pakistan during Trump’s first presidency in Qatar (global financier of terrorism and America’s Bumboy), without any participation or representation of the then government of Afghanistan. Qatar has been funding terrorist organizations, including Hamas, world over but simultaneously posing as the peace broker.

The CIA-engineered toppling of the Bashar al-Assad government in Syria, using Al Qaeda commander Ahmad al-Sharaa to lead the rebel forces, who was then installed as the Interim President of Syria. Trump first met Sharaa in Saudi Arabia on May 14, 2025 with a warm handshake, perhaps desisting the urge to hug him.

With US blessings, Sharaa then made history by addressing the UN General Assembly on September 24, 2025; first by a Syrian president in nearly 60 years; vowing justice for past wrongs, promising reform, and calling for sanctions relief while criticizing Israeli actions and seeking international support for peace and reconstruction.

Next came Trump hosting Sharaa at the White House on November 10, 2025, making it the first time ever a Syrian president visiting the White House, six months after the two first met in Saudi Arabia. In an unusually muted welcome, Sharaa entered the White House through a side door rather than the West Wing driveway normally used for the arrival of foreign leaders. Just before the two-hour Trump-Sharaa meeting, the US treasury announced that the suspension of sanctions against Syria will be extended.

But the UN Security Council had already lifted  terror-related sanctions against Sharaa and other security officials (https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/11/1166303); the US, the UK and EU having lifted punitive measures (around USD 15 billion) covering restricted assets and trade in May 2025, with Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Qatar supporting renewed engagement with Syria and offering to fund public salaries and energy infrastructure, plus supporting  Syrian obligations to international financial institutions.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was most upset when Sharaa was installed as President of Syria by the CIA. But then Trump hosted Erdogan in Washington on September 14, 2025, and aside from asking him to stop buying Russian oil, tasked Erdogan to revitalize Al-Qaeda on the same lines Erdogan armed and trained ISIS in 2012-2013. So, Erdogan began training and arming Al-Sharaa’s soldiers / mercenaries at three locations in Turkey. Earlier, with Sharaa’s White House visit, Syria signed a political cooperation declaration with the Global Coalition to Defeat Islamic State, the Syrian information minister said in a post on X post, saying the agreement is political and until now contains no military components (https://www.facebook.com/kuwaittimesdaily/posts/syria-recently-signed-a-political-cooperation-declaration-with-the-global-coalit/1271866074987125/).

With Trump’s blessings, Pakistani ISI and Turkish intelligence MiT are creating a “Special Force” comprising members of Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) with the target of using them against India and Myanmar.

ARSA is headed by Ataullah Abu Ammar Jununi (a Pakistani - also known as Ata Ullah), who was supposedly arrested by Bangladeshi authorities in March 2025; an obvious cover up. The ISI and Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) have been in contact with ARSA over the past decade and a half plus, and ARSA has been receiving funds from Saudi Arabia and Qatar. While Trump hugs Erdogan, Turkish gangs are marauding Europe (https://nordicmonitor.com/2025/12/europe-confronts-a-new-menace-turkish-gangs-born-from-ankaras-institutional-breakdown/). Also, the US Embassy in Dhaka had deeply mourned the killing of Sharif Osman Hadi; hardcore proponent of integrating the seven northeastern states of India into Bangladesh.

The US legitimizing a terrorist regime anywhere, like in Syria, has to have repercussions. Three Americans (two US soldiers and a civilian) were killed and three US soldiers were injured in Syria recently (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9d9vpxjp2go). But the person who killed the three Americans was photographed beside Sharaa in Aleppo (May 2025).

Tom Barrack, US ambassador to Turkey has said these killings are a reminder that terrorism remains a vicious persistent threat, even as we work to eliminate it. However, Tom Barrack fools nobody, with the US promoting and supporting terrorism globally, sometimes ISIS, sometimes Al Qaeda, sometimes both, or other terrorist organizations. 

At the same time, Tom Barrack saying terrorism remains a vicious persistent threat is true, but he fails to acknowledge that the ideology of Islamic terrorists remains a constant factor. It does not change whether ISIS, Al Qaeda, Taliban, whichever may be - all wanting the rule of Sharia and ideology of killing infidels. Realization of Islamic terrorism is dawning even in Australia - do listen particularly to the Australian Imam. But does India recognize this in openly embracing the Taliban, including free entry in India, for monetary gains. Former Indian ambassador MK Bhadrakumar cautions that while Moscow appears on course correction vis-a-vis Taliban, Delhi went overboard, which morality aside, is rank opportunism that would eventually extracts a heavy price.

As to the Americans killed/injured in Syria, noise may be tad more because of the uniform. But aren’t Americans being killed as a routine every other day? According to official data, over the past 10 years, about 1.2 million people have been shot (killed or wounded) in the US. More than 4,500 mass shootings (defined as four or more people shot in a single incident) have occurred, with most of the perpetrators identified as white men. Trump does occasionally shed a crocodile tear, with many victims being children. But as an Indo-American wrote, “Why would Trump bother about child victims given his paedophile history.” After the Bondi Beach killings in Australia, the Australian prime minister plans to restrict the sale of guns and even buy back guns. But there is no such thinking in the Trump Administration.

The author is an Indian Army veteran. Views expressed are personal.

More on Trump’s policy in the region:

Trump’s NSS is Old Wine: https://www.thestrategicperspective.org/trumps-nss-is-old-wine/

Fighting continues between Thailand and Cambodia despite Trump’s ceasefire claim: https://www.thestrategicperspective.org/fighting-continues-between-thailand-and-cambodia-despite-trumps-ceasefire-claim/

Trump’s War on India: https://www.thestrategicperspective.org/trumps-war-on-india/

Bangladesh ISISified: https://www.thestrategicperspective.org/bangladesh-isisified/

America’s Arab-Islamic Subjugation: https://www.thestrategicperspective.org/americas-arab-islamic-subjugation/