Trump administration orders complete US military exit from Syria

The United States has begun withdrawing all of its approximately 1,000 troops from Syria, three American officials told The Wall Street Journal, bringing to a close a military mission that has lasted more than a decade.

Two officials said US forces have already departed from the Al Tanf garrison — a strategically important base near the borders of Syria, Jordan and Iraq — as well as from the Al-Shaddadi installation in northeastern Syria earlier this month. The remaining American positions are expected to be vacated over the next two months.

The Wall Street Journal had previously reported in January that Washington was considering a full withdrawal from Syria.

Officials emphasised that the decision is unrelated to the current buildup of US naval and air assets in the Middle East, which are positioned for possible strikes against Iran should negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program collapse. Iran has warned it would retaliate against American forces in the region if the US carries out airstrikes. The United States has deployed a substantial force near Iran’s coastline, including a carrier strike group, advanced fighter aircraft and additional warships, while a second aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, is en route to the area.

According to two US officials, the administration of President Donald Trump concluded that a continued American military presence in Syria was no longer necessary following the near-complete disbandment of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Washington’s primary partner in the fight against Islamic State over the past decade.

Last month, forces loyal to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa seized most territory previously held by Kurdish groups during a rapid offensive. In January, Damascus and the SDF reached a fragile cease-fire backed by the United States, under which the SDF agreed to integrate into Syria’s national army.

The administration now plans to expand its diplomatic engagement with Damascus after Sharaa consolidated power following the late-2024 overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met last week with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, with discussions focused largely on cooperation against terrorist organizations, including Islamic State, and on preserving the cease-fire arrangement.

Officials also cited concerns about potential clashes between US troops and Syrian government forces as a factor behind the withdrawal. Sharaa’s military includes elements suspected of extremist sympathies, including individuals with alleged links to al Qaeda and Islamic State, as well as personnel accused of abuses against Kurdish and Druze communities, according to earlier reporting by the Journal. In December, two US soldiers and an American civilian interpreter were killed by a member of Syrian security forces who had reportedly faced dismissal over extremist views.

A senior administration official said the pullout reflects the Syrian government’s assumption of primary responsibility for counterterrorism operations, while noting that US forces would retain the capability to respond to Islamic State threats elsewhere in the region. A spokesperson for US Central Command declined to comment.

The move has raised concerns among some American and foreign officials, who warn that a reduced US military footprint could embolden Damascus to abandon its cease-fire commitments with Kurdish forces and create conditions allowing Islamic State to regroup. Others argue that the limited number of remaining US troops had largely served as a political signal of support rather than a decisive counterterrorism force.

This is not the first withdrawal ordered by Trump. In 2018, during his first presidency, he directed the removal of roughly 2,000 US troops from Syria after declaring victory over Islamic State and suggesting that Türkiye could fill the resulting security vacuum — a decision that drew strong opposition within his administration and prompted Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to resign.

Trump ultimately allowed several hundred troops to remain, officially to protect oil fields. However, Jim Jeffrey, who served as the administration’s Syria envoy, later told Defense One that officials had “always [been] playing shell games” to obscure the actual number of US personnel deployed in the country.

By Tamilla Hasanova