US forces withdraw from Syria’s Al-Tanf base, redeploy to Jordan

DAMASCUS, Syria (MNTV) — United States forces have withdrawn from Syria’s Al-Tanf military base near the Jordanian border and redeployed to neighboring Jordan, Syrian military sources said, marking a significant adjustment in Washington’s presence in the country.

One Syrian military source told Arab News that American troops fully vacated the Al-Tanf base after relocating equipment over the past two weeks, with Syrian forces moving in to replace them. 

Another source confirmed the withdrawal and said US forces would continue coordinating activities related to Al-Tanf from Jordan.

US troops had been stationed at Al-Tanf and in Syria’s Kurdish-controlled northeast as part of the international coalition against the Daesh group. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces were a key partner in the campaign that led to Daesh’s territorial defeat in 2019.

However, following the collapse of longtime ruler Bashar Assad and the emergence of a new government in Damascus, Washington has shifted its approach, drawing closer to the new authorities and reducing reliance on Kurdish forces. 

Syria formally joined the anti-Daesh coalition during President Ahmed Al-Sharaa’s visit to the White House last year.

The new Syrian government has been working to extend state control nationwide, with Kurdish authorities agreeing last month to integrate their forces and autonomous administration into the central state after losing territory to government advances.

Following the withdrawal from Al-Tanf, US forces are now primarily based at the Qasrak base in Hasakah. Washington has also been overseeing the transfer of thousands of suspected jihadist detainees from Syria to Iraq.

Despite Daesh’s territorial defeat, the group remains active. It was blamed for a December attack in Palmyra that killed two US soldiers and a civilian, prompting retaliatory US strikes on militant targets.