April 16, 2026, 3:48 p.mApril 16, 2026, 3:48 p.m
Syria’s government has announced the complete withdrawal of US troops previously stationed in the country.
The “military facilities where United States troops were previously present in Syria” have been “completely handed over to the Syrian government,” the State Department in Damascus said.
Syria announces withdrawal of all US troops.Image: EPA
There was initially no confirmation of the complete withdrawal from the US government in Washington or the US military. But the move had been in the offing for months. In February there were reports of plans to withdraw within 30, 60 or 90 days.
US President Donald Trump had already announced in 2018 during his first term in office that US soldiers in the country should be completely withdrawn. The information on the number of US soldiers fluctuated between 900 and 2,000.
The US military fought for a long time in Syria alongside Kurdish-led militias against the terrorist militia Islamic State (IS), which is now considered militarily defeated. In recent years, the US military has continued to attack IS leaders and Iran-aligned militias.
It was now said that the withdrawal fits with the joint assessment of the USA and Syria that the circumstances for the US presence – namely the rise of IS – have changed “fundamentally”. The Syrian state is now “fully capable” of fighting terrorism with the help of other countries. (hkl/sda/dpa)