U.S. forces and coalition partners have left three military bases in Syria and Iraq that were instrumental in operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), according to the Defense Department Inspector General’s latest quarterly report.
According to the report, the troops departed Mission Support Site Green Village, H2, and Mission Support Site Euphrates, also known as the Conoco gas field. All three bases were located in the Middle Euphrates River Valley.
Infrastructure at the sites was either dismantled or transferred to the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Troops previously stationed at the bases were redeployed to other locations in Syria or Iraq, or returned home upon completing their tours. The report did not specify how many personnel were involved.
The reported closures are part of a broader Pentagon plan, announced earlier this year, to consolidate U.S. forces in Syria. The strategy aims to eventually reduce the American military presence to a single base with fewer than 1,000 troops.
The U.S. has maintained a military presence in Syria since 2014, as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, which was launched to counter ISIS’s growing influence in Syria and Iraq.
The report emphasizes that the drawdown of troops does not mark the conclusion of U.S. operations against ISIS.
“U.S. forces will work closely to ensure partner forces sustain their abilities to maintain pressure on ISIS and deny it the ability to find safe havens or regain strength,” it notes.
