Key Takeaways
- The US has withdrawn 500 troops from Syria as part of its new Middle East policy, post Assad ouster.
- The US has consolidated its forces in Syria, reducing its presence in the country.
- Ahmed al-Sharaa, the transitional president of Syria, has a complex past as a former Al Qaeda member, but has since defected.
Washington/Damascus: The US has withdrawn 500 troops from Syria, a move that comes as part of its new Middle East policy. This decision was made following the ouster of the Assad regime. Approximately 500 troops have been withdrawn from Syria in recent weeks.
According to Fox News, the US troops have vacated their three bases in Syria, with some, like Mission Support Site Euphrates, being handed over to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), while another one, such as Mission Support Site Green Village, has been closed down.
In April, the Pentagon announced its plans to decrease its military presence in Syria in the coming months from 2,000 to under 1,000 troops as part of efforts to consolidate US forces to select locations in the country.
“The consolidation of US forces in Syria is safe, deliberate, and conditions-based,” a US defense official told Al Arabiya English. Officials further said that a number of troops had been deployed elsewhere and that the bases were shut down or handed over the course of last month.
Elaborating on the Pentagon’s April stance on consolidation of troops, Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said the US would consolidate its troops in Syria under the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve to select locations in the country, bringing down the US footprint in Syria to less than 1,000.
“As this consolidation takes place, consistent with President Trump’s commitment to peace through strength, US Central Command will remain poised to continue strikes against the remnants of ISIS in Syria,” Parnell said at the time.
Despite its reduction of troops in Damascus and lifting sanctions , Washington has its doubts over the new interim regime of Ahmed al-Sharaa – who was a former Al Qaeda member.
While Sharaa had defected from the terror group years ago, and his status as an international terrorist was also stripped, his new regime includes several former terrorists, all of whom are hardline Islamists, casting much doubt over the future of Syria.
Syria’s armed opposition captured Damascus on December 8, 2024. Bashar Assad stepped down as Syrian president and left the country. Armed opposition leader Ahmed al-Sharaa was declared transitional president in January, and the new cabinet was formed in March.
