US forces began withdrawing from their largest base in northeastern Syria on Monday, according to three Syrian military and security sources, in what appears to be part of a broader redeployment as the Damascus government moves to consolidate its authority in the region.
Witnesses reported that dozens of trucks, some transporting armored vehicles, left the Qasrak base in Hasakah province on Monday morning. Footage showed the convoy traveling along a highway near the city of Qamishli.
A complete departure from Qasrak would still leave the US-led coalition operating from a base in Rmelan, also known as Kharab al-Jir, close to the Iraqi border.
Qasrak has served as a central hub for coalition operations against the Islamic State. US troops have been stationed in Syria for more than a decade, working alongside the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in efforts to combat the jihadist organization.
Responding to a request for comment, a US defense official cited by Reuters said the military would not discuss future force posture or troop levels, citing operational security. Syria’s defense ministry and the SDF did not immediately comment.
One Syrian military source familiar with the plans told Reuters that the withdrawal from Qasrak is expected to take approximately a month, though it remains uncertain whether the move is temporary or permanent. A second source said the process would likely take several weeks.
The redeployment follows recent developments in which government forces under President Ahmed al-Sharaa assumed control of areas in the northeast previously held by the SDF. In recent weeks, US forces have also departed from a base in al-Shaddadi in Hasakah province and from the al-Tanf garrison near Syria’s borders with Iraq and Jordan.
A senior US official previously described the troop movements as a deliberate and conditions-based transition, stating that a large-scale American presence was no longer required given the Syrian government’s stated readiness to take primary responsibility for countering terrorist threats within its territory.
The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the United States is in the process of withdrawing its roughly 1,000 troops from Syria.
Islamic State, which once controlled significant territory in Syria and Iraq, claimed responsibility for two attacks on Saturday that resulted in the deaths of a soldier and a civilian.