Amid rising tensions with Iran, the US decides to withdraw troops from Syria

2026-02-19 07:28:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The US is preparing to withdraw its troops from Syria in the coming months. A White House official said the Syrian government had agreed to take the lead in fighting terrorism within its borders and a large-scale US military presence was no longer necessary.

US troops have been in Syria since 2015 as part of a counter-terrorism campaign to combat the influence of the Islamic State (IS) group. The decision came as US President Donald Trump is increasing his military presence in the Middle East and as tensions rise with Iran.

The official noted that the decision to withdraw the roughly 1,000 remaining troops from Syria is part of a conditions-based transition and that the US remains ready to respond to any threat in the region. The news comes amid a growing US troop presence in the region, specifically near Iran.

The US is also said to have sent the USS Gerald R Ford, the world's largest warship, to the Middle East, which is expected to arrive in the region within the next three weeks.

In Syria, US troops had already left two bases earlier this year, the al-Tanf garrison in southern Syria and the al-Shaddadi base in the northeast. The moves come after the fall of the Assad government in 2024 and a weakened Islamic State amid significant improvements in security in Syria.

Since then, the Trump administration has sought to strengthen its diplomatic ties with Damascus and enhance its partnership with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. His government has clashed occasionally with local militias but reached a deal in January that would integrate the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces with Syria's armed forces.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met last week with his Syrian counterpart, Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, to discuss maintaining the ceasefire. Rubio also expressed concerns about the ongoing war on terrorism. /CNA