Syrian forces have taken control of the strategic al-Tanf military base near the border with Iraq and Jordan, according to the Syrian defence ministry.
The ministry stated that Syrian Arab Army units had taken control of al-Tanf, securing the base and its surroundings, through coordination between the Syrian and American sides. Army units had begun deploying along the Syrian-Iraqi-Jordanian border nearby.
The base was established in 2014 as a key hub for operations by the global coalition against ISIL. The US withdrawal from the base comes months after Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa joined the anti-ISIL coalition in November.
US Withdrawal
The US military has not officially commented on the pullout, but President Trump has expressed an interest in withdrawing US troops from Syria since his first term. The pullout also follows a US-brokered deal to integrate the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces into Syrian government institutions.
Last month, Syrian government forces captured large areas of previously Kurdish-held territory in northeast Syria, amid deadly clashes with the SDF. A ceasefire was later struck between the sides.
Amid the advance of Syrian forces, the US military has been transferring thousands of ISIL prisoners from jails previously run by the SDF in northeastern Syria, as the facilities were transferred to Syrian government control.
US Deployment
While the size of the US deployment in Syria has fluctuated over the years, with precise figures often unclear due to the classified nature of many operations, a Pentagon announcement in July 2025 said there were about 1,500 American soldiers in Syria. The size of the deployment currently stands at 900.
Earlier this month, an Al Jazeera correspondent on the ground reported that US military personnel appeared to be drawing down their presence from watchtowers surrounding a military installation in the al-Shaddadi area in northeastern Hasakah province.
Source: Al Jazeera
