The United States confirmed on Thursday that its forces have withdrawn from Al-Tanf in Syria, as Damascus said Syrian troops had taken control of the base near the borders with Jordan and Iraq.
The “orderly departure of US forces from Al-Tanf” was completed the previous day, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement, describing the move as part of a “deliberate and conditions-based transition”.
CENTCOM commander Brad Cooper said US forces remained prepared to respond to threats from the Islamic State, stressing that sustained pressure on the militants was “essential to protecting the US homeland and strengthening regional security”.
Syria’s defence ministry said its army units had taken control of Al-Tanf and had begun deploying along the nearby Syrian-Iraqi-Jordanian border.
During the Syrian civil war and the campaign against Islamic State, US forces were deployed both in Syria’s Kurdish-controlled northeast and at Al-Tanf.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were a key partner of the US-led coalition against Islamic State and played a central role in the group’s territorial defeat in Syria in 2019.
However, following the fall of long-time ruler Bashar Al-Assad more than a year ago, Washington has moved closer to Syria’s new authorities, recently saying the need for its alliance with the Kurds had largely diminished.
Syria formally joined the anti-Islamic State coalition when President Ahmed Al-Sharaa visited the White House in November.
After the withdrawal from Al-Tanf and government advances in northeast Syria, US troops are now mainly based at the Qasrak base in Hasakeh province, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Despite its territorial defeat, Islamic State remains active. The group was blamed for a December attack in Palmyra, where a lone gunman opened fire on US personnel, killing two American soldiers and a US civilian.
Washington has since carried out retaliatory strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria, with CENTCOM saying more than 50 militants have been killed or captured over the past two months.
