UPDATE 1-Syria says it has taken over al-Tanf base vacated by US troops

Syria's Defence Ministry ​said on Thursday that Syrian army units ​had taken control of ‌the al-Tanf military ​base vacated by U.S. troops, following coordination between Syrian and U.S. authorities.

Reuters, quoting two sources briefed on the ‌matter, reported on Wednesday that U.S. forces had evacuated the al-Tanf base in far northeastern Syria and were heading to Jordan. The al-Tanf complex is strategically located at the tri-border ‌confluence of Syria, Jordan and Iraq. It was established during Syria's civil war ‌in 2014 as a key hub for operations by the global coalition against Islamic State militants.

Syria joined the coalition last November when President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited the White House for talks with U.S. President Donald ⁠Trump. ​Sharaa, a former ⁠al Qaeda commander, had led Islamist rebels who overthrew longtime Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. The ⁠U.S. pullout from al-Tanf follows a Washington-brokered deal to integrate the Syrian Democratic Forces - a Kurdish-led group ​backed by the U.S. for a decade in the fight against IS - ⁠into central Syrian institutions.

The United States hailed the January 30 agreement as a milestone towards unity and ⁠reconciliation ​in Syria after the war that fractured the country into rebel fiefdoms. Trump has expressed a desire to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria since his first term ⁠in 2019. The Wall Street Journal reported in January that the Trump administration was ⁠planning a "complete withdrawal" ⁠from Syria, citing three U.S. officials.

The United States had about 1,500 troops in Syria, according to a Pentagon announcement in ‌July 2025.