US troops pull out of Shaddadi base in Syria: What to know
The base has been a hub for American troops between the central city of Hasakah and the strategic Khabur River Valley, once the gateway to the Islamic State's oil-producing heartland.
WASHINGTON — American military personnel began withdrawing from one of the few remaining US bases in Syria this week as the Trump administration increasingly leans on the new government in Damascus to contain the remnants of the Islamic State group.
US armored vehicles were seen departing the area of the airbase at al-Shaddadi in convoys interspersed with cargo trucks and a line of what appeared to be civilian buses on Thursday, according to local reports.
Why it matters: The departure from Shaddadi comes amid a longer-term, phased drawdown of American troops in Syria pushed by the White House following the overthrow of the Bashar al-Assad regime at the end of 2024.
The Shaddadi base has been a hub for American troops between the central city of Hasakah and the strategic Khabur River Valley, which was once the gateway to ISIS’ oil-producing heartland along the Euphrates River during the height of the war.
