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The United States is withdrawing all of its roughly 1,000 troops from Syria over the next two months, ending a decadelong military operation in the country, according to U.S. officials.
The U.S. military has already completed withdrawals from the al-Tanf garrison, a strategic outpost at the borders of Syria, Jordan and Iraq, and the al-Shaddadi base in northeast Syria earlier this month, two officials told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
"Troops will withdraw from remaining U.S. locations over the next two months," the officials noted.
"The Trump administration decided a U.S. military presence in Syria is no longer necessary because of the near-total disbandment of the SDF," two U.S. officials said.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa's forces took over most SDF-held territory in a lightning offensive last month. Damascus and the SDF reached a fragile U.S.-backed ceasefire in January, and the SDF has agreed to integrate into the Syrian army.
A senior administration official said the pullout was underway because the Syrian government is taking the lead on counterterrorism operations, though U.S. forces would still be able to respond to any Daesh-related threats in the region.
The Trump administration aims to build a larger diplomatic presence in Syria following the consolidation of power by Sharaa, who in late 2024 overthrew dictator Bashar al-Assad.
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The officials said the withdrawal was unrelated to the current U.S. deployment of naval and air forces in the Middle East for potential strikes against Iran if talks about that country's nuclear program fail.
Iran has threatened to retaliate against American troops in the region if the U.S. launches airstrikes.
The U.S. has amassed a large force off Iran's coast consisting of a carrier strike group, advanced fighter jets and other warships. A second aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, is heading toward Iran.
This is not the first time Trump has pulled U.S. forces out of Syria.
In 2018, during his first term as president, he abruptly ordered all of the roughly 2,000 U.S. troops out of the country after declaring military victory against Daesh, stating that Türkiye—a staunch opponent of the YPG/PKK in Syria—could fill the American vacuum.
Trump's decision met with stiff resistance from within the administration and prompted then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to resign.
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