The United States will withdraw about 600 military personnel from Syria, leaving fewer than 1,000 troops to continue cooperating with Kurdish allies in the fight against the Islamic State group.
This was reported by AP on Thursday, citing an American official.
U.S. troops play a crucial role not only in operations against ISIS but also as a buffer between Kurdish forces and Turkey, which considers them linked to terrorist groups.
During his first term, President Donald Trump attempted to withdraw all U.S. forces from Syria, but faced resistance from the Pentagon, which viewed such a move as an abandonment of allies. This eventually led to the resignation of former Defense Secretary James Mattis. The withdrawal of 600 troops will return troop levels to what they were for many years, following a lengthy campaign by the U.S. and its allies that ultimately defeated ISIS.
The U.S. had maintained around 900 troops in Syria to prevent a resurgence of ISIS fighters and to stop weapons smuggling in southern Syria by Iran-backed militants moving arms through the region.
After the Hamas attacks in Israel on October 7, 2023, the number of U.S. troops in Syria was increased to over 2,000, as Iran-backed militants began targeting American forces and interests in response to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.
In December 2024, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fled the country. In the months since, Syrians displaced by over a decade of war have begun returning home, but the country remains unstable.
Israel has struck Syrian military sites, there are signs the Islamic State group is attempting to regroup, and Iran-backed militants in Syria continue to pose a threat to U.S. interests.
