US officials revealed that the US is set to withdraw its remaining force of approximately 1,000 troops from Syria, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday evening.
Anonymous officials stated that the US forces will vacate their remaining positions in Syria over the next two months.
Addressing the timing of the announcement—which coincides with heightened regional tensions involving Iran and a buildup of US forces in the Middle East—the officials clarified that the withdrawal is unrelated to any potential operations against Tehran.
The officials added that the Trump administration has determined that a permanent US military presence in Syria is no longer necessary.
This development follows an announcement from Damascus earlier in February confirming that Syrian forces took control of the Al-Tanf military base from the US.
In an official statement at the time, the Syrian Ministry of Defense said: “Through coordination between Syrian and American sides, units of the Syrian Arab Army have taken control of the Al-Tanf base and secured its surroundings. Units have begun deploying along the Syrian-Iraqi-Jordanian border in the Al-Tanf desert.”
Since 2014, Washington has maintained a military presence in Syria and Iraq as part of the International Coalition to Defeat ISIS.
The coalition was formed after the extremist group seized vast territories across both nations. ISIS was eventually defeated in its last Iraqi stronghold in 2017 and its final Syrian territory in 2019.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
