US forces withdraw from key Syria base – AP

Washington has pulled out troops from the Al-Tanf garrison after improving ties with the new government, according to the outlet

US forces have withdrawn from the Al-Tanf military base in southeastern Syria, relocating to Jordan and handing over control of the facility to the country’s new authorities, AP reported on Wednesday, citing sources.

One source told the agency that American forces “withdrew entirely from Al-Tanf base today,” adding that Syrian forces were being deployed to replace them. A second source confirmed the withdrawal, noting that US troops had been moving equipment out for the past 15 days. He added that US forces would “continue to coordinate with the base in Al-Tanf from Jordan.”

The Al-Tanf garrison, established in 2016, sits at the strategic tri-border junction of Syria, Jordan, and Iraq along the M2 Baghdad-Damascus Highway. The base served as a key hub for operations by the US-led coalition against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) terrorists and was used to train Syrian opposition forces.

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While former Syrian President Bashar Assad had consistently declared the US military presence in the country as an illegal occupation, the ties between Damascus and Washington thawed after the fall of his government in late 2024.

In November, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with US leader Donald Trump at the White House, while agreeing to join the anti-IS coalition. The US has also removed economic sanctions from the Middle Eastern country that had been in place for more than a decade.

In January, al-Sharaa also held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which focused on Syria’s reconstruction and bilateral cooperation, including Moscow’s military installations in the country.

As part of a major policy overhaul, Syria’s new authorities also struck a deal in January with Kurdish-led and US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to integrate the group into the Syrian Army after weeks of clashes.

Earlier this week, multiple media outlets reported that the US had begun transferring IS detainees from Syria to Iraq, with up to 7,000 expected to be relocated in total.