The United States finished handing over all its major military bases in Syria to the new government, ending a decade of American military presence in the country. U.S. troops were first stationed there in 2015 as part of the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Syria’s foreign ministry and the U.S. military’s Central Command said Thursday that the transfer of major sites was complete, marking a new phase of cooperation without permanent American outposts. The U.S. will continue training and assisting Syrian security forces, including in operations against ISIS remnants in the country, but without maintaining a permanent force there.
The withdrawal is a major political coup for Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa, as his government works to consolidate control after the country’s civil war and deepen ties with Washington. Sharaa and his once Al Qaeda–linked paramilitary group, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, toppled Bashar Assad’s government in late 2024.
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