US army continues drawdown of Syria occupation bases
Washington’s ambassador to Turkiye said in an interview that the US will reduce its presence from eight bases to just one
The US military has begun a significant reduction of its presence in Syria, withdrawing from two major occupation bases in the country’s northeast under plans to retain just one.
“Our current policies toward Syria will not resemble the policies of the past 100 years, because those policies did not work,” US ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack said in an interview with Turkish channel NTV.
“From eight (military) bases, we will end up with just one,” Barrack said, describing the move as a “reconsolidation.”
The reduction of military forces is “happening,” he added, highlighting that Washington’s partners in the region will need to participate in a new security arrangement for Syria. “It’s a matter of integration with everyone being reasonable,” he went on to say.
Barrack said the US will transition to a support role for the new authorities in Damascus, “enabling it.” The ambassador had met with Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa last week.
According to Barrack, US President Donald Trump will remove Syria from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on 2 June that withdrawal from two key bases has already begun.
“The withdrawal began gradually on 18 May before accelerating over the past two days. US convoys, including armored vehicles and logistical equipment, were seen leaving their positions in the Al-Omar oil field and the Conoco gas plant, amid intense overflights by the International Coalition,” sources told SOHR.
Sources who spoke with Al-Akhbar newspaper said “the withdrawal is part of a broader US maneuver that may grant Syrian government forces access to the northern and eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor,” energy-rich areas which have been occupied by the US since 2016.
US media outlets had reported earlier this year that the Trump administration was drawing up plans for a withdrawal from Syria.
The US army has been illegally occupying Syria since 2016, maintaining control of the country’s oilfields with the help of its Kurdish proxy, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) – which is now in talks with Syrian authorities regarding its potential integration into the country’s new, extremist-dominated military.
The Turkish army has also been occupying Syria for several years.
Following the fall of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s government last year, Israeli forces expanded their occupation of Syria and took control of massive swathes of the southern region of the country.
The Turkish and Israeli armies have been holding talks on establishing a “deconfliction” mechanism in Syria, coinciding with indirect negotiations between Tel Aviv and Damascus.
Syrian authorities have signaled a willingness to potentially normalize ties with Israel.