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Analysis

US' Syria pullout continues amid looming Iran clash

The Trump administration is taking advantage of a rare moment of quiet following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in hope of disentangling the US military from nearly a decade of involvement in Syria.

US soldiers patrol in Syria's northeastern city Qamishli, in the Hasakeh province, mostly controlled by Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, on January 9, 2025. (AFP via Getty Images)
US soldiers patrol in Syria's northeastern city Qamishli, in the Hasakeh province, mostly controlled by Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, on January 9, 2025. — DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images

This is an excerpt from Al-Monitor Security, a weekly newsletter covering defense and conflict developments in the Middle East. To get Al-Monitor Security in your inbox, sign up here.

WASHINGTON — The US military’s plan to draw down more than half of its troops in Syria continues apace, Trump administration officials said this week, as the White House seeks to disengage and allow neighboring states to take the lead in shaping the country’s postwar future.

Trump’s ambassador to Turkey, billionaire real estate investor Tom Barrack, appears to be hitting all the right notes as he seeks to patch up Washington’s relations with Ankara. 

Barrack, who was dual-hatted as the State Department’s Syria envoy last week, revealed to Turkey’s NTV news agency on Monday that the ongoing US troop drawdown would eventually leave American forces with only one base in the country.

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