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The United States has withdrawn approximately 500 troops from Syria in recent weeks, representing nearly a quarter of its military presence in the country, as part of a broader consolidation plan announced by the Pentagon earlier this year.
Two U.S. officials confirmed to Fox News that three U.S. bases have been either turned over to the SDF or closed down entirely.
This includes Mission Support Site Green Village, which has been shut down, and Mission Support Site Euphrates, which has been handed over to the SDF.
The PYD/YPG, also referred to as the SDF, is the Syrian offshoot of the PKK terrorist organization. PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the U.S., and the EU. Türkiye also considers the YPG an extension of the PKK in Syria.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), U.S. forces carried out a sudden withdrawal from two major military bases in Syria's eastern Deir ez-Zor province, marking one of the most significant American military shifts in northeastern Syria.
The Britain-based monitoring group reported that the withdrawal began gradually on May 18 and accelerated over the past 48 hours. U.S. military convoys, including armored vehicles and logistical equipment, were seen departing the al-Omar oil field and the Conoco gas field, both strategic outposts within SDF-occupied territory.
The pullout took place amid intense overflights by aircraft from the U.S.-led international coalition.
The troop reduction follows an April announcement by the Pentagon to consolidate US forces in Syria from approximately 2,000 to under 1,000 troops. Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Sean Parnell referenced the fight against Daesh in explaining the decision.
"Recognizing the success the United States has had against Daesh, including its 2019 territorial defeat under President Trump, today the Secretary of Defense directed the consolidation of U.S. forces in Syria under Combined Joint Task Force–Operation Inherent Resolve to select locations in Syria," Parnell said in the April statement.
"The consolidation of U.S. forces in Syria is safe, deliberate, and conditions-based," a U.S. defense official told Al Arabiya English. US officials confirmed that troops had been redeployed elsewhere and that the bases were shut down or handed over within the last month.
"As this consolidation takes place, consistent with President Trump's commitment to peace through strength, U.S. Central Command will remain poised to continue strikes against the remnants of Daesh in Syria," Parnell stated.
On June 2, the U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye and also the U.S. Special Envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, announced that the United States has begun reducing its military presence in Syria with plans to eventually maintain only one base in the country.
"We've gone from eight bases to five to three. We'll eventually go to one," Barrack said in an interview with Türkiye's NTV television on Monday.
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