The United States has begun scaling down its military presence in Syria, planning to reduce from eight bases to one, U.S. Special Envoy Thomas Barrack said in an interview with Turkish broadcaster NTV.
“We’ve gone from eight bases to five to three. We’ll eventually go to one,” Barrack said. “What I can assure you is that our current Syria policy will not be close to the Syria policy of the last 100 years, because none of these have worked.”
Additionally, Barrack called Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) a key U.S. ally, saying their integration into Syria’s national forces was vital.
Roughly 2,000 U.S. troops were deployed to Syria, mostly in the northeast, working with SDF to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State.
In April, the Pentagon revealed plans to consolidate its forces in Syria, reducing U.S. troop levels from approximately 2,000 to fewer than 1,000.
Two sources told Reuters that U.S. forces are withdrawing from Deir el-Zor and consolidating in Hasakah province. A U.S. State Department official said troop levels would adjust “if and when appropriate,” based on operational needs. No timeline was given for the final drawdown.
Meanwhile, U.S. officials told Fox News that approximately 500 U.S. troops have withdrawn from Syria in recent weeks, with three bases either closed or handed over to the SDF.
The policy shift follows President Donald Trump’s surprise decision to lift sanctions on Syria and re-establish diplomatic ties with Damascus, now led by a new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Al-Sharaa, a former leader of the Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, was appointed to the role in January, following the ousting of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.
Last week, Barrack raised the American flag in the U.S. Embassy in Damascus for the first time since its closure in 2012 during Assad’s regime.
U.S. Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack, alongside Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and other senior officials, raised the American Flag at the U.S. Embassy in Damascus today for the first time since its closure under the Assad Regime in 2012. pic.twitter.com/L3PLzlo00y
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) May 29, 2025
