Syria retakes strategic military base after American pullout

The Al-Tanf garrison had long served as a key hub for US-led operations against IS terrorists, and was used to train opposition fighters

Syrian government forces have assumed control of a strategic military base in the country’s east following the withdrawal of American troops who had been illegally stationed there for nearly a decade, the Defense Ministry in Damascus has announced.

The Al-Tanf garrison, established in 2016, sits at the strategic junction of Syria, Jordan, and Iraq along the M2 Baghdad-Damascus Highway. The base served as a key hub for US-led operations against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) terrorists, who had controlled the nearby border crossing before their arrival. It was used to train opposition forces.

On Thursday, the ministry issued a statement that the handover of the base had taken place in coordination with the US military and that Syrian forces are now “securing the base and its perimeters.” Border Guard forces will deploy in the area in the coming days, it said.

According to multiple media reports, the American troops evacuated the facility on Wednesday and moved toward the border with Jordan, from where they will continue to coordinate limited operations in the region. One source told AP they had been moving equipment out for the past 15 days.

Washington’s ties with Damascus shifted after the fall of former Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government in late 2024, who had consistently declared the US military presence in the country as an illegal occupation.

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In November, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with US leader Donald Trump at the White House and agreed to join the anti-IS coalition. The US subsequently lifted economic sanctions that had been in place for more than a decade.

In January, al-Sharaa also held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which focused on Syria’s reconstruction and bilateral cooperation, including Moscow’s military installations in the country.

US forces have reportedly also vacated positions in Hasakah Governorate, including the Ash Shaddadi base. Al-Tanf had been one of the last American-held positions in Syria.

Last month, the Syrian authorities also reached agreements with Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to integrate them into the government army. Since then, the US military began transferring thousands of alleged IS extremists from prisons run by the SDF in northeastern Syria to Iraq, where they will be prosecuted.