The United States plans to withdraw all its remaining troops from Syria, ending a decade-long US military presence in the Arab country. According to CBS News, there are around 1,000 US troops in Syria that will be withdrawn over the next two months.
In 2015, they deployed American troops in Syria
The US, led by then-President Barack Obama, deployed ground troops to Syria in 2015, where they joined forces with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in the country’s northeast in the fight against the Islamic State (IS).
During the height of the fight against IS in 2017, the US had roughly 2,000 to 2,500 ground troops deployed in Syria.
The SDF has controlled large parts of northeastern Syria for years amid the Syrian civil war.
Syria after Bashar al-Assad
IS was largely defeated in 2019, and the security situation in Syria also changed after the fall of longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted in late 2024.
Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda-linked militant leader who led Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, which toppled al-Assad’s government, has since taken power in Syria as the country’s new president.
However, many Western leaders who initially expressed skepticism about al-Sharaa’s past have since expressed a willingness to work with him. This includes US President Donald Trump, who hosted him in Washington in November 2025, making al-Sharaa the first Syrian leader in history to visit the White House.
Read also | Syrian Ahmed al-Sharaa is coming to the US for an important visit. What’s on the agenda?
In January 2026, Syrian government forces under al-Sharaa achieved a significant victory against the SDF, which lost roughly 80% of the territory it once held, including strategic cities such as Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor.
The US did not come to the aid of the SDF and instead recognized the Syrian Transitional Government as its main partner in the fight against IS, dealing a major blow to the rebels.
IS still remains a threat
Although the security situation in Syria has improved, IS sleeper cells continue to pose a challenge to the al-Sharaa government.
In December 2025, two members of the Iowa National Guard and a translator were killed in an ambush by an IS gunman who infiltrated Syrian forces.
The Trump administration responded with Operation Hawkeye Strike, which targeted IS bases across Syria.
Read also | US military strikes more than 30 IS targets in Syria between February 3-12, CENTCOM says
Earlier this month, the US. helped transfer 5,700 ISIS fighters from detention facilities in Syria to Iraqi custody due to security concerns.
Earlier this year, US troops were also reported to have abandoned the al Tanf garrison in southern Syria and the al Shaddadi base in the country’s northeast as part of a planned withdrawal.
There are currently about 1,000 US troops in Syria near Rmelan near the Iraqi border.
As ground troops depart, US Central Command (CENTCOM) has indicated it will retain the ability to conduct airstrikes against ISIS remnants if necessary.
The withdrawal of US troops from Syria also comes as Washington is ramping up its military presence in Iran in response to a violent crackdown on mass protests by the Islamic Republic’s security forces.