The Trump administration is pulling forces out of Syria as part of a strategic shift, now that the government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa is taking control of the fight against terrorist groups, according to a senior U.S. official.
A substantial American troop presence is no longer deemed necessary in Syria, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, but the Trump administration remains prepared to respond to ISIS threats in the region. Part of the U.S. force is leaving the country as part of a transition process.
The Wall Street Journal reported earlier on Wednesday (the 18th) that the United States was in the process of withdrawing all of the roughly 1,000 troops stationed in Syria. The newspaper cited three unnamed American officials.
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Pentagon and U.S. Central Command spokesmen declined to comment.
Last week, the Syrian army took control of the Al-Tanf military base, previously occupied by American troops, ending a decade-long U.S. military presence at a strategic point in the country’s southeast. Al-Sharaa agreed to join the U.S.-led coalition to defeat the Islamic State, in exchange obtaining sanctions relief and support to assume areas in the northeast with a Kurdish majority.
At the same time, Islamic State still maintains a presence in Syria. The group carried out an attack that killed two U.S. Army soldiers and an interpreter in Palmyra in December, and American forces struck more than 100 targets, capturing or killing more than 50 ISIS militants in the last two months.
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