Pentagon drafting plans to withdraw all US troops from Syria Following Trump’s remarks

The US Department of Defence is preparing plans to withdraw all US troops from Syria following recent comments by President Donald Trump expressing interest in pulling troops out of the region. 

According to two US defence officials, cited by US media, the Pentagon is considering a full withdrawal within 30, 60, or 90 days, per Caliber.Az.

Trump’s new national security adviser, Mike Waltz, visited US Central Command in Tampa, Florida, on January 31, where he met with senior military leaders and received briefings on the Middle East. However, a White House official clarified that the potential reduction of US forces in Syria was not part of the briefing or the focus of Waltz's visit.

At a recent Oval Office event, when asked about reports that he had informed Israel of plans to withdraw troops, Trump responded, “I don’t know who said that… but we’ll make a determination on that. We’re not getting, we’re not involved in Syria. Syria is in its own mess.”

In 2019, Trump ordered the withdrawal of US troops from Syria, a move that led to the resignation of Defense Secretary James Mattis in protest. While most troops were withdrawn, some were later redeployed. As of December, approximately 2,000 US troops were stationed in Syria, more than double the number previously reported.

The Pentagon's mission in Syria has focused on combating ISIS and supporting local partners, including the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-led coalition. The US military has warned that withdrawing troops could leave SDF forces vulnerable and jeopardize the security of numerous prisons and refugee camps holding over 50,000 individuals, including approximately 9,000 ISIS fighters.

Without US support, the SDF may have to abandon these facilities, potentially releasing thousands of ISIS fighters. 

On December 8, 2024, rebel forces known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) unexpectedly toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime. HTS is a coalition of Sunni Islamist insurgent groups based in Syria, which originated from Jabhat al-Nusra, an Al-Qaeda offshoot operating in the country.

Following Assad’s fall, HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, emerged as the de facto leader in Syria.

In late December, al-Sharaa and other HTS representatives held a historic meeting with senior officials from the Biden administration. This marked the first formal diplomatic engagement between the United States and Syrian officials in over a decade.

Al-Sharaa has committed to overseeing a political transition that would establish an inclusive government and hold elections, a process that could take up to four years to complete.

By Tamilla Hasanova