US begins troop withdrawal from key Syria base

Dubai: US forces leading the anti-Daesh coalition in Syria began withdrawing from a major base in the country’s northeast on Monday, with officials indicating a full pullout could be completed within weeks.

The withdrawal follows a shift in regional dynamics after Kurdish forces — long supported by Washington in the fight against Daesh — handed over territory to Damascus and agreed to integrate into the Syrian state.

American troops have already exited two bases in the past two weeks: Al-Tanf in the southeast and Shadadi in the northeast.

A Syrian government official said US forces are expected to leave the country entirely within a month, adding that no American military presence would remain at the bases. A Kurdish source confirmed the timeline, while a diplomat suggested the withdrawal could be completed within 20 days.The United States currently has around 1,000 troops stationed in Syria. On Monday, troops began leaving the Qasrak base in the northeast, which remains under Kurdish control, a Kurdish official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

An AFP team witnessed a convoy of dozens of trucks transporting armoured vehicles and prefabricated structures along a route linking Qasrak in Hasakeh province to the Iraqi border.

The withdrawal comes as Syria’s government has recently reasserted control over parts of the northeast. Washington has also moved closer to Syria’s new leadership following the fall of Bashar al-Assad in late 2024.

US troops have been deployed in Syria for years as part of international efforts against Daesh, which emerged from the chaos of the Syrian civil war and once controlled vast territories in Syria and neighbouring Iraq.

Video and inputs: AFP