US military begins withdrawing from main base in northeast Syria, Syrian sources say Dozens of trucks, some carrying armored vehicles, depart base in Hasakah province; last US troops expected to leave country within 20 days, ending 12-year presence By Agencies<https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/agencies/> Today, 2:44 pm Share <https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-military-begins-withdrawing-from-main-base-in-northeast-syria-syrian-sources-say/#openwebComments> [Screen capture from video of US forces withdrawing from the Qasrak in Hasakah province, northeastern Syria, February 23, 2026. (X)]<https://static-cdn.toi-media.com/www/uploads/2026/02/vlcsnap-2026-02-23-13h32m39s381-copy.jpg> Screen capture from video of US forces withdrawing from the Qasrak in Hasakah province, northeastern Syria, February 23, 2026. (X) DAMASCUS — US forces began pulling out of their largest base in northeastern Syria on Monday, two Syrian military and security sources said, part of a wider departure as the US-allied government in Damascus consolidates control. Dozens of trucks, some carrying armored vehicles, departed the base at Qasrak in Hasakah province on Monday morning, witnesses said. Reuters footage later showed the trucks moving along a highway on the outskirts of the city of Qamishli. The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. A full withdrawal from Qasrak would still leave the US-led coalition with a base in Rmelan, also known as Kharab al-Jir, near the Iraqi border. Qasrak has been a main hub for the US-led global coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria, where US troops deployed over a decade ago, partnering with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) against the jihadist group. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Newsletter email address Get it By signing up, you agree to the terms<https://www.timesofisrael.com/terms> Kurdish forces agreed last month to integrate their institutions with Damascus. Neither the Syrian defense ministry nor the SDF responded to requests for comment. US forces will complete their withdrawal from Syria within a month, three sources told AFP on Monday. The withdrawal comes as Syria’s government expanded its control to the country’s northeast, previously controlled by US-allied Kurdish forces, and formally joined the coalition against ISIS. American forces have already withdrawn from two other bases in the past two weeks, Al-Tanf in the southeast and Shadadi in the northeast. “Within a month, they will have withdrawn from Syria and there will no longer be any military presence in the bases,” a Syrian government official said, with a Kurdish source confirming the timeline. The officials who spoke to AFP for this story all requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to media. The United States has about 1,000 troops still deployed in Syria. It had intervened in the country in 2014 to fight ISIS, which had taken over swathes of Syria and Iraq in a lightning offensive. With Kurdish forces at the forefront, ISIS was territorially defeated in 2019 but retains sleeper cells and called on jihadists on Saturday to fight Syrian authorities. ‘End their presence’ A diplomat from a country allied with both the United States and Syria said the withdrawal should be completed within 20 days. The US may still carry out airstrikes in Syria from other bases in the region, he said. The Kurdish source said “the international coalition forces will end their presence, which has lasted for about 12 years, in northern and eastern Syria within a period of three to five weeks.” “Over the coming days, successive military convoys will transport logistical supplies, military equipment, radar systems, and missiles from the two remaining bases,” he added, referring to Qasrak and Kharab al-Jir, also in Hasakeh province. The withdrawal comes as the US, which long backed the Kurds, considered their mission against ISIS to be “largely” over, as Syria joined the international coalition against the terror group. After the Syrian authorities’ deployment in the northeast last month, the US military said it transferred thousands of ISIS suspects, including many Syrians but also Westerners, to Iraq, after they were held in Kurdish-run prisons for years. Syrian authorities had transferred remaining families in Al-Hol, the largest camp housing relatives of suspected ISIS fighters, to another site in the north. Thousands of family members of foreign jihadists had previously fled the camp and they remain unaccounted for. https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-military-begins-withdrawing-from-main-base-in-northeast-syria-syrian-sources-say/?utm_source=The+Daily+Edition&utm_campaign=daily-edition-2026-02-23&utm_medium=email
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