U.S. planning to pull all troops from Syria, sources say

The U.S. is planning to withdraw about 1,000 remaining troops from Syria over the next two months, U.S. officials told CBS News, ending a roughly decade-long American military presence there as part of the fight against the Islamic State, or ISIS.

Troops departed the al Tanf garrison in southern Syria and the al Shaddadi base in the country’s northeast earlier this year.

The Wall Street Journal was first to report that the remaining U.S. forces are expected to leave.

The U.S. has had a presence in Syria since 2015, supporting an anti-ISIS coalition that included the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. The SDF controlled large portions of northeastern Syria for years amid a civil war that challenged Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.

The security situation in the country has changed considerably since the Assad government collapsed in late 2024. The Trump administration has sought to work with new Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former rebel leader who has renounced his former ties with al Qaeda. His government has clashed with the Syrian Democratic Forces, before striking a deal last month that sought to integrate the Kurdish-led group into Syria’s armed forces.

For years, the Syrian Democratic Forces who partnered with the U.S. provided security for prisons and refugee camps holding thousands of ISIS prisoners and their families. 

Earlier this month, the U.S. helped transfer 5,700 ISIS suspects from detention facilities in Syria to Iraqi custody, according to U.S. Central Command.

In December, two members of the Iowa National Guard and a translator were killed in an ambush attack by a lone ISIS gunman, according to the Pentagon. The Trump administration in retaliation launched a series of attacks as part of Operation Hawkeye Strike to hit ISIS targets. 

American bases in Syria have also periodically faced attacks by Iranian-backed groups in recent years. And the U.S.-allied Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria faced pressure from neighboring Turkey.

President Trump in his first term wanted to withdraw from Syria completely, and even announced all 2,000 troops would withdraw. His Defense Secretary at the time, Jim Mattis, resigned shortly after that, citing policy disagreements. Mr. Trump ended up agreeing to keep a small presence in the country.