US forces have completed their withdrawal from the Al-Tanf military garrison in southeastern Syria, relocating to Jordan and transferring control of the strategic facility to Syria’s new authorities, according to reports from the Associated Press. The move follows a broader realignment of US policy toward Damascus after the fall of the Assad government in late 2024.
According to two sources familiar with the operation, American troops entirely vacated the Al-Tanf base on Wednesday, with Syrian forces subsequently deployed to assume command. One source indicated that the withdrawal of equipment had been ongoing for approximately 15 days. The US military is expected to maintain coordination with activities at the base from its new position in Jordan.
Established in 2016, the Al-Tanf garrison is positioned at the tri-border junction of Syria, Jordan, and Iraq, adjacent to the critical M2 Baghdad-Damascus Highway. For nearly a decade, it served as a central hub for the US-led coalition’s operations against the Islamic State (IS) and as a training site for allied Syrian opposition factions. Former President Bashar Assad had long characterized the US presence as an illegal occupation.
The withdrawal signifies a major shift in US-Syrian relations. Diplomatic ties have warmed significantly since the establishment of the government led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa. In November, al-Sharaa met with US President Donald Trump at the White House, where Syria agreed to formally join the anti-IS coalition. Concurrently, the US has lifted more than a decade of economic sanctions on Damascus.
This policy overhaul includes several key security developments. In January, Syrian authorities negotiated an agreement with the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to integrate the group into the national army, following sporadic clashes. Separately, President al-Sharaa held discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding post-war reconstruction and the future of Russian military installations in Syria.
The withdrawal from Al-Tanf also coincides with a separate initiative regarding former IS fighters. Earlier this week, reports confirmed the US has begun transferring thousands of IS detainees held in Syria to detention facilities in Iraq, with up to 7,000 expected to be relocated.
The handover of Al-Tanf marks the most concrete step yet in the normalization of relations between Washington and Damascus. It underscores a strategic pivot for the US from a direct ground presence in Syria to a posture of regional coordination, while handing the new Syrian government full control of a pivotal border zone. The long-term implications for regional security, border management, and the final suppression of IS remnants will depend on the effectiveness of this new cooperative framework.
