DAMASCUS, Syria — Syrian government forces have taken control of a base in the east of the country that was run for years by U.S. troops as part of the war against the Islamic State group, the Defense Ministry said in a statement Thursday.
The al-Tanf base sits on a strategic location close to the borders with Jordan and Iraq. In a terse statement, the Syrian Defense Ministry said the handover of the base took place in coordination with the U.S. military and Syrian forces are now “securing the base and its perimeters.”
The U.S. Central Command said in a statement that troops have completed “the orderly departure” from al-Tanf base on Wednesday.
It said that the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, established by the U.S. Central Command in 2014, has advised, assisted and enabled partner forces in the fight against IS. It added that in April last year, the Defense Department announced the U.S. military would begin consolidating its locations in Syria after the territorial defeat of IS almost seven years ago.
“U.S. forces remain poised to respond to any IS threats that arise in the region as we support partner-led efforts to prevent the terrorist network’s resurgence,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander. “Maintaining pressure on ISIS is essential to protecting the U.S. homeland and strengthening regional security.”
The command said that over the past two months, U.S. forces have struck more than 100 targets with over 350 precision munitions while capturing or killing more than 50 IS members.
The Syrian Defense Ministry also said that Syrian troops are now in place in the desert area around the al-Tanf garrison, with border guards to deploy in the coming days.
The deployment of Syrian troops at al-Tanf and in the surrounding areas comes after last month’s deal between the government and the U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, to merge into the military.
Al-Tanf garrison was repeatedly attacked over the past years with drones by Iran-backed groups but such attacks have dropped sharply following the fall of Bashar Assad’s government in Syria in December 2024 when insurgent groups marched into his seat of power in Damascus.
Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa has been expanding his control of the country, and last month government forces captured wide parts of northeast Syria after deadly clashes with the SDF. A ceasefire was later reached between the two sides.
Al-Tanf base played a major role in the fight against the Islamic State group that declared a caliphate in large parts of Syria and Iraq in 2014. IS was defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria two years later.
Over the past weeks, the U.S. military began transferring thousands of IS prisoners from prisons run by the SDF in northeastern Syria to Iraq, where they will be prosecuted.
The number of U.S. troops posted in Syria has changed over the years.
The number of U.S. troops increased to more than 2,000 after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas in Israel, as Iranian-backed militants targeted American troops and interests in the region in response to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.
The force has since been drawn back down to around 900.
Associated Press journalist Bassem Mroue in Beirut contributed to this report.
