The Syrian Defense Ministry said that in coordination with the United States, the Syrian army had taken control of the strategic base.

The Syrian military has taken control of the strategic Tanf military base near the border with Iraq and Jordan as the U.S. troops that have long been stationed at the base withdraw, the Syrian Defense Ministry said.

The Defense Department said in a statement on Thursday that “through coordination between Syria and the United States,” the Syrian Arab Army had taken control of Tanf and ensured the security of the base and its surrounding areas.

The Ministry of Defense said Army troops have “begun deployment along the nearby Syria-Iraq-Jordan border” and border troops will be deployed in the coming days.

The base was established in 2014 during the Syrian civil war and was a key hub for operations by the global anti-Islamic State coalition (ISIS), which controlled large swaths of Syria and Iraq until the group was defeated in 2017.

A few months ago, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa joined the anti-Islamic State coalition. Months earlier, the United States had deemed him a “specially designated global terrorist.”

The U.S. military has not officially commented on the withdrawal, but Trump has expressed interest in withdrawing troops from Syria since his first term.

Syrian government expands control

The withdrawal is also an agreement brokered by the United States to integrate the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (an important partner of the United States in the fight against the “Islamic State”) into the Syrian government institutions. The United States praised the agreement as an important step towards national unity and reconciliation in Syria.

Last month, the Salad government promote expansion As Syrian government forces take control of the country, they have seized large swaths of territory in northeast Syria previously controlled by the Kurds amid deadly clashes with the SDF.

one ceasefire later hit between the two sides.

As Syrian forces advance, U.S. troops Transferred Thousands of Islamic State prisoners in prisons previously run by the SDF in northeastern Syria have been handed over to Syrian government control.

U.S. troop withdrawal

Although the size of the U.S. deployment in Syria has fluctuated over the years, and the exact number is often unclear due to the classified nature of many operations, a July 2025 Pentagon statement said there were approximately 1,500 U.S. troops in Syria.

According to the Associated Press, the current deployment size is 900 people.

Earlier this month, Al Jazeera’s local correspondent report U.S. military personnel appear to be withdrawing their presence from watchtowers surrounding a military installation in the Shadadi area of ​​northeastern Hasakah province.

Soldiers were also seen lowering the American flag from a tower, while equipment used to manage aircraft takeoffs and landings at the base’s airport was no longer visible.

America conducted a round ‘Large-scale’ attack on Islamic State After an ambush in Syria in January Killed two US soldiers A civilian translator in the city of Palmyra in December.