The U.S. is preparing for a pullout of all troops stationed in Syria, readying to end its military presence deployed to fight against ISIS in the country, two U.S. officials told The Hill on Wednesday.
The move comes as the U.S. military has withdrawn service members from the Al-Shaddadi base in northeast Syria and from al-Tanf base, a key military outpost in the southeastern part of the nation, earlier this month.
A senior U.S. administration official told The Hill on Wednesday that "some" U.S. personnel are departing Syria as part of a "deliberate and conditions-based transition."
"U.S. forces remain poised to respond to any ISIS threats that arise in the region as we support partner-led efforts to prevent the terrorist network's resurgence," the administration officials said, but the U.S. presence "at scale" in the country is no longer needed given Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa's government's willingness to take responsibility for addressing terrorist threats inside the nation.
Both the U.S. Central Command and the Pentagon declined to comment.
The Wall Street Journal reported on the pullout earlier.
Previous reports of the potential full withdrawal of troops from Syria prompted alarms among some foreign-policy-focused Republicans on Capitol Hill.
The withdrawal comes as al-Sharaa's military led an offensive last month in northeastern Syria against Kurdish-led militias, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a U.S. partner in counterterrorism operations, capturing oil fields. The SDF and al-Sharaa's forces forged a fragile U.S.-supported ceasefire last month and the Kurdish-led militias agreed to fold into Syria's defense ministry.
Last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani at the Munich Security Conference, where he noted the importance of holding the fragile ceasefire between the two sides and an integration deal in the country's northeast.
Trump wanted to pull out all troops from Syria during his first term, but was met with pushback from Pentagon officials, which ultimately resulted in then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis's resignation. Since then, the number of U.S. service members has fluctuated, going up following Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel, but the Defense Department began pulling about 600 troops last year, pointing to the success in combating ISIS. Currently, there are fewer than 1,000 troops in Syria.
"President Trump is committed to supporting a Syria that is stable, unified, and at peace with itself and its neighbors. This is a key element of the President's vision for a peaceful and prosperous Middle East," the administration officials said. "A stable and sovereign Syria is critical for the region's stability. Syria must not become a base for terrorism or pose a threat to its neighbors and the wider world."