The US military has started removing hundreds of troops from Syria but will leave over 1,000 in the country, at least for now, The New York Times reported on Thursday.
US officials told the Times that the US was shuttering three of its eight bases in northeast Syria and that it would bring troop levels down from 2,000 to 1,400. After 60 days, the US military will assess the situation and potentially make additional cuts to the troop presence.
The report said that US commanders have recommended leaving about 500 troops in Syria. For years, the Pentagon claimed there were only 900 US troops occupying Syria, but the Biden administration revealed late last year that the real number was 2,000.
News of the drawdown comes after the US-backed Kurdish-led SDF signed an integration agreement with the HTS-led Syrian government. Under the deal, the SDF has been handing over territory in northern Syria to government forces, which has eased tensions with Turkey and ended fighting between the SDF and the Turkish-backed SNA.
The SDF integration agreement was seen as a step toward a potential US withdrawal or drawdown since it would lessen the threat of Turkey launching another military offensive against the Kurds.
Israeli media recently reported that the US had informed Israel it would be removing some troops from Syria and that Israel is opposed to any US drawdown or withdrawal from the country due to its concerns over Turkey expanding its presence.
Since the regime change that ousted former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which Israel supported, the Israeli military has invaded southern Syria and has been bombing military targets across the country. Israel now appears focused on keeping Turkish forces out of central Syria, warning it would impede the Israeli military’s “operational freedom” in the country.
During the first Trump administration, Israel played a role in convincing President Trump to keep troops in Syria after he announced plans for a withdrawal. At the time, Israel didn’t want Iran or its allies, which included the Assad government, gaining a foothold in the areas currently occupied by the US, which include oil and gas fields.
Where are all the voices and marches for Syria with 12 million displaced and over 500,000 civilian casualties. There would be some welcome relief if those most responsible for the heinous and barbaric crimes committed against civilians during this long conflict were held to account.
There’s an old expression: “Here’s your hat! What’s your hurry?!”
Symbolic rather than meaningful: 30% troop reduction, none in An Tanf. US presence there is mostly disuassory vs Turkey and possibly Iran (which some claim is trying to seduce the Kurds) and Russia (which actually has many more troops in Rojava than the USA nowadays, although concentrated in a single base).
How about some UN Peace Keepers to help things move further along, in the correct direction?!…
That would imply a functional UN.
So what those 1400 troops are going to do in Syria…?! Stealing oil and food and sell it to Turkey instead of Iraqi Kurdistan now that Assad is gone…!
Now that AL-Qaeda are temporarily running the show, do they need any US presence in the country?
No need for them. ISIS (a new branch of the military)has taken over. That was the Communists In Action plan all along all the way back to 911. It was delayed by the Russian Air Force that bombed Obama's terrorist army to pieces. Ironically Putin could claim that they helped US with our war on terror. He learned that no good deed goes unpunished when he faced a proxy NATO invasion force being deployed in a CIA controlled Ukraine.