Latest news with #SyrianDemocraticForces
Shafaq News
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
US exits two military sites in Syria as regional conflict escalates
Shafaq News/ The United States conducted a tactical evacuation of troops from two military positions in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province due to escalating tensions between Iran and Israel, a source from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) confirmed on Thursday. The withdrawal affected the Istirahat al-Wazir and Tel Baydar bases, which lack advanced defensive systems, placing US personnel at increased risk as missile exchanges between Tehran and Tel Aviv continue in Syrian airspace, the source told Shafaq News. More than 100 trucks carrying military hardware and logistical supplies crossing from Iraq through the Al-Waleed border point toward US-led Coalition bases in Hasakah. Earlier, Syrian sources indicated that the US military activated defense systems and implemented precautionary measures in coordination with Israeli strikes on Iranian targets. A source close to US forces in Syria revealed to Shafaq News in April that the Pentagon had launched a new military redeployment plan, aimed at reinforcing its presence in Kurdish-controlled parts of Hasakah while reducing its overall footprint in northeast Syria. This marks the first on-the-ground confirmation of the US exit from the Istirahat al-Wazir and Tel Baydar bases, raising to at least four the number of positions vacated by American forces since President Donald Trump took office. The Trump administration announced earlier this month that it would scale down its military presence in Syria from eight bases to just one in areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces. While the SDF did not disclose how many US troops remain or which bases are still active, SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi told Reuters that the presence of only a few hundred troops 'would not be enough' to contain the threat posed by ISIS. 'The threat of Islamic State has significantly increased recently. But this is the US military's plan. We've known about it for a long time ... and we're working with them to make sure there are no gaps and we can maintain pressure on Islamic State,' Abdi said.
India.com
a day ago
- Politics
- India.com
US again shows its true nature, betrays its close ally, abandons it in middle of a crisis, the country is...
US President Donald Trump New Delhi: The United States has long been known for its opportunistic approach and infamous across the globe for its deceitful character. America has a history of betraying its own friends. This is the same militia that the US had backed to stand against the then-government of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. Later, the militia was used in the war against the Islamic State in both Syria and Iraq. But now, neither does Assad's regime face any serious threat in Syria, nor does the Islamic State hold power. In such a situation, the US has abandoned the Syrian Democratic Forces to their fate. US Vacates Two More Military Bases in Syria The United States has withdrawn its troops from two more bases in the northeastern Syria, according to a Reuters report. Meanwhile, a commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces stated that this move by the US increases the possibility of the Islamic State re-emerging in the region. Both military bases are now largely deserted, with only small contingents of Syrian Democratic Forces stationed there. Surveillance cameras previously used by the US-led coalition have been removed from the bases, although razor wire still remains on the outer walls. Four US Military Bases Vacated in Syria A Kurdish politician residing at one of the sites has confirmed that there are no longer any American troops there. A guard from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) at another base stated that the soldiers had recently left, but refused to disclose when they departed. The Pentagon declined to comment. This marks the first confirmation that the U.S. has withdrawn troops from the Al-Wazir and Tal Baydar bases in Syria's Hasakah province. With this, the number of bases vacated by US forces in Syria since President Donald Trump took office has reached at least four.
LBCI
3 days ago
- Politics
- LBCI
US pulls out of two more bases in Syria, worrying Kurdish forces: Reuters
U.S. forces have pulled out of two more bases in northeastern Syria, visiting Reuters reporters found, accelerating a troop drawdown that the commander of U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish forces said was allowing a resurgence of Islamic State. Reuters reporters who visited the two bases in the past week found them mostly deserted, both guarded by small contingents of the Syrian Democratic Forces - the Kurdish-led military group that Washington has backed in the fight against Islamic State for a decade. Cameras used on bases occupied by the U.S.-led military coalition had been taken down, and razor wire on the outer perimeters had begun to sag. Reuters
Arab News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
US pulls out of two more bases in Syria, worrying Kurdish forces
AL-SHADADI BASE: US forces have pulled out of two more bases in northeastern Syria, visiting reporters found, accelerating a troop drawdown that the commander of US-backed Syrian Kurdish forces said was allowing a resurgence of Daesh. The reporters who visited the two bases in the past week found them mostly deserted, both guarded by small contingents of the Syrian Democratic Forces — the Kurdish-led military group that Washington has backed in the fight against Daesh for a decade. Cameras used on bases occupied by the US-led military coalition had been taken down, and razor wire on the outer perimeters had begun to sag. A Kurdish politician who lives on one base said there were no longer US troops there. SDF guards at the second base said troops had left recently but refused to say when. • No US troops present at Al-Wazir and Tel Baydar bases. • Daesh threat 'has significantly increased', SDF commander says. The Pentagon refused to comment. It is the first confirmation on the ground by reporters that the US has withdrawn from Al-Wazir and Tel Baydar bases in Hasaka province. It brings to at least four the number of bases in Syria US troops have left since President Donald Trump took office. Trump's administration said this month it will scale down its military presence in Syria to one base from eight in parts of northeastern Syria that the SDF controls. The New York Times reported in April that troops might be reduced from 2,000 to 500 in the drawdown. The SDF did not respond to questions about the current number of troops and open US bases in northeastern Syria. But SDF commander Mazloum Abdi, who spoke at another US base, Al-Shadadi, said the presence of a few hundred troops on one base would be 'not enough' to contain the threat of Daesh. 'The threat of Daesh has significantly increased recently. But this is the US military's plan. We've known about it for a long time ... and we're working with them to make sure there are no gaps and we can maintain pressure on Daesh State,' he said. Abdi spoke on Friday, hours after Israel launched its air war on Iran. He refused to comment on how the new Israel-Iran war would affect Syria, saying simply that he hoped it would not spill over there and that he felt safe on a US base. Hours after the interview, three Iranian-made missiles targeted the Al-Shadadi base and were shot down by US defense systems, two SDF security sources said. Daesh ruled vast swathes of Iraq and Syria from 2014 to 2017 during Syria's civil war.
LeMonde
3 days ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
Kurdish integration offers hope for Syria's reconstruction
On March 10, a historic agreement was signed between Syria's transitional president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF, a Kurdish-led coalition), General Mazloum Abdi, to integrate the autonomous Kurdish institutions of Northeast Syria into the state. Three months later, General Michael Kurilla, who leads the US Central Command for the Middle East, delivered a positive assessment, telling the US House Armed Services Committee in Washington on June 10 that integration was going well despite some friction points. Kurilla added that Turkey, engaged militarily against Kurdish forces since 2016, was now playing a constructive role. The March 10 agreement brought a glimmer of hope in the face of the immense security and economic challenges confronting Damascus authorities since the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad on December 8, 2024; it also spared Sharaa from international opprobrium following massacres carried out by his own forces against the Alawite minority in early March. The renewed unity of Syria, splintered by Druze and Kurdish autonomy demands, will depend on the success of this process, which must conclude by year's end. US pressure proved decisive in bringing about the agreement. Since Donald Trump's return to the White House, the prospect of a US withdrawal from Syria has loomed. Kurdish forces, strategic US partners in the fight against the Islamic State group (IS) since 2014, would no longer enjoy American protection from Turkish threats; Turkey views the SDF as an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which Ankara has designated as a terrorist organization. Patience and openness The Trump administration decided on a gradual disengagement, which began in mid-May. The plan called for reducing troops from 2,000 to 1,000 and retaining only one of the eight bases in Northeast Syria. Washington, which has drawn closer to Syria since the meeting between Trump and al-Sharaa in Riyadh on May 14 and the announcement of the lifting of US sanctions on the country, is demanding the return of Damascus's sovereignty over its entire territory.
